Counting Stars
by RedButterfly33
Summary: "But how?" Remus cried, his voice verging on desperate. "I am hated and poor! Living in run-down flats, eating scraps, barely making ends meet... How can you possibly be happy like this?" She smiled softly. "Who, being loved, is poor? You are all I need. No more counting galleons. From now on, we'll be counting stars."
1. Make it Work Somehow

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Make it Work Somehow**

"Erm, but Mr. Hopper, I'll need my severance—"

"Get out of here, before I've called the authorities!" the round, balding man growled, throwing the young woman's coat in the dirt. "You werewolf-lovin' slag," he muttered under his breath and slammed the door of his bookstore shut.

Lisa sighed and bent down to pick up her coat, careful not to drop the small cardboard box in her hands, which was full of belongings she used to keep on her desk. This was the third job she'd lost this month. Sooner or later, someone who knew she was living with Remus always came in and complained to her boss. Not all of them were complete tossers about it, but there was the occasional prick. Sighing deeply again, she made her way down the cobbled street of Diagon Alley, thinking things could not get any worse. She was wrong.

"Well, well, if it isn't Lisa Fawley," a deep voice drawled from her right, and Lisa's heart sank as she laid eyes on Evan Rosier and Dorcas Meadowes, coming out of Gringotts Bank arm in arm.

"Hello, Evan. Dorcas." Lisa inclined her head politely at the couple, trying to reign in her temper.

"It seems life hasn't been treating you well," Rosier continued, his eyes sliding down her dusty coat and worn-out shoes. "I see your seven N.E.W.T.s didn't do much for your career prospects..." He lingered on the personal effects in her box.

"I'm doing quite fine, thank you," Lisa interrupted him sharply.

"Those clothes would beg to differ," Dorcas sneered. "They would look horrible even if they _weren't_ practically rags. You always did have an abysmal fashion sense."

"I'd rather have no fashion sense than no dignity!" Lisa snapped.

"We have very different ideas of dignity." Dorcas glared at her coldly. "I would sooner be caught in your dirty ensemble than rolling around in the sheets with a werewolf!"

Lisa's blood instantly boiled, and had she not been on a highly crowded street, holding her few possessions in a box, she would have pulled out her wand. "At least I don't spend my free time killing muggles!"

Dorcas and Rosier regarded her with completely unimpressed, icy stares.

"We can play the morality game all day, but _some_ of us have jobs to get back to," Dorcas said. "The Minister was very pleased with my new propositions on the Animagus Registry; I'm actually expecting a promotion soon. Well, best not make your _beast_ wait. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to learn you'll have to eat from the rubbish bins again this month."

And with that, the couple gracefully walked down the street, leaving Lisa to stare after them, boiling on the inside like an erupting volcano.

* * *

oOo

Lisa opened the door to her flat carefully, checking to see if Remus was home. He wasn't. She gave out a sigh of relief, threw her coat over the back of one of the battered wooden chairs and quickly took her things out of the cardboard box. Sighing heavily for the fortieth time today, she burned it to leave no evidence of her sacking and walked into the bedroom, retrieving an old green notebook from the fake bottom of her traveling trunk. It still stood half-empty in the corner, because she hadn't completely unpacked it since their last move. Lisa retreated into the bathroom, taking her Self-Inking Quill with her and locking the door with _Colloportus_. She leaned against it and sank to the floor, opening the cover. As she expected, a message was waiting for her on the first blank page:

 ** _You looked pretty down today. Are you alright?_**

Lisa took the quill into her hand and scribbled below,

 _I got fired again. I really liked that job too; it was good to work in a bookstore. I just don't get how people keep finding out so fast._

Within a minute or two, words began to form under her own.

 ** _Maybe you should start using a fake name._**

 _You'd think if anything, my name would be of help! I come from a long line of purebloods; my family is part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, for Merlin's sake!_

 ** _Your parents might not have disowned you, but the pureblood circles sure have. You should hear how they talk about you; I think you might be more infamous than Black!_**

 _I'm glad my misery amuses you._

 ** _You're welcome to be amused by_** ** _my_** ** _misery, if it'll make you feel any better._**

 _What misery? I thought you said you were expecting a promotion. If things keep going the way they are, I really might resort to digging through the rubbish for food._

 ** _First of all, I'd take eating from the trash any day, as long as I don't have to listen to those bigots talk about 'dirty blood' or how 'wizards should rule muggles'. Second of all, I said the thing about the promotion to spite you. Sorry about that, by the way. Connor McKinnon actually kind of hates me, so the chances of me climbing the Ministry ladder while he's still head of the Department are pretty much non-existent. And lastly, what happened to the money in your fund, the one your dad opened for you when you turned seventeen? Don't tell me you've wasted it all already?_**

 _It's still there. I only dip in it when we really can't make ends meet, usually to pay the rent and some such. Neither of us can hold down a steady job for long so this gold keeps us afloat, but it has to last us a long time. We can't afford to spend it._

 ** _If you're having trouble with money, let me send you some. I can't stand to look at you in that state, I wasn't kidding when I said your clothes look like rags. I'll find some way to do it discretely._**

 _I don't think that's such a bright idea. You'll only end up blowing your cover._

 ** _Then take it from someone else. Potter inherited the entire fortune of his House after his parents died this summer, and your own family is swimming in gold._**

 _We don't need charity._

 ** _No, what you need is a good slap to the face! Your parents are loaded, ask them for help._**

 _They need that money as much as we do. They're both still hunted by the Death Eaters so they're staying low and have an uncertain income themselves, not to mention my grandfather cut my access to the family vault after that whole 'engagement' fiasco. And James has to support both himself and Lily, while being a full-time Order member. We can't impose on him like that._

 ** _Fine, then! I told you, I have plenty of gold; just let me give you some._**

 _No, Cass, it's too dangerous!_

 ** _I can't keep watching you live like this. Let me help you. Please._**

At that moment, Lisa heard the front door open with a creak.

 _Remus is home. I have to go._

She hastily closed the notebook and shrunk it and the quill down to size, shoving them in her jeans pocket.

"Hey," Lisa greeted gently, closing the bathroom door behind her. "How was the job hunting?"

Remus hung up his suit jacket on the hanger and sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. He was tired and gaunt and, combined with the shirt and tie he was wearing, he looked way too old for his eighteen years.

"Nothing yet," he said, looking down at his feet and trying to hide the frustration in his voice. "I'll try again tomorrow."

This wasn't anything new. Both of them unemployed, barely making the rent of the run-down one-bedroom flat; the third one since the beginning of summer. Things were not at all as happy as Lisa had pictured it in her head when eight months ago, while they were still in school, Remus had joined her on the railing of the Tower Bridge and asked her to move in with him. Finding work was the biggest issue, as most well-paid positions they qualified for ran extensive background checks and always turned them down, so his lycanthropy essentially kept both of them perpetually poor. They did work for the Order and got to see their friends regularly, though.

Lisa just couldn't think of finances while Sirius was telling them bachelor stories or when Lily quipped sarcastically at everything that came out of James' mouth, or when she was watching Frank's spot-on impersonations of old Mad-Eye and hearing from Benjy all about the new episode of his favorite muggle show, _Doctor Who_ , which flimsily disguised wizards as aliens. Gideon also constantly showered them with 'Gideon's greatest Hits', a title everyone gave to his ravings about the baddies he caught as a Hit Wizard, while his brother, Fabian, kept them up to date with foreign affairs, having just landed an internship in the International Magical Cooperation Department at the Ministry. Emma Vance was Lisa's source of information about the goings on in Hogwarts, and she and Benjy kept up the Defenders, a group of students fighting the muggle-born abuse in the castle. Though to be honest, everyone could do with a little less celebrity gossip, which Marlene would just refuse to stop spewing.

Back at Lisa and Remus' flat though, things weren't so peachy. It wasn't that they fought a lot, that was actually quite rare. He would get on her nerves occasionally with his nagging for her to clean after herself (as she had grown up pampered and taken care of by house elves all her life, Lisa was still struggling with the novelty of doing her own laundry); while she would cause him headaches with her loud way of talking or her general slob tendencies, but on the whole, they managed to get along fine. The serious problems really did stem from the money. He felt guilty that his condition was holding her back, convinced she could do quite a lot better for herself were she not attached to him. She on the other hand, could not deny this even a little bit, as whether her potential employer told her that or not, it was the sole reason her applications were turned down most of the time. He felt bad she had to live in these conditions because of him, live in poverty and in want of many things, but in truth, Lisa found there really wasn't that much missing from her life, other than the food and clothing situation. If there was one thing she regretted being too poor for, it was the yearly subscription to the London Library of Magic, which was at a low rate of 12 galleons. But right now she and Remus could last 2 months with 12 galleons. Or at least, had to.

Lisa found that the key to keeping things from falling apart (namely, keeping Remus from being too depressed), often laid with a joke.

"You know, you could always become a musician," she said with a smile, casually waving her wand to the gramophone in the corner. One of Remus' favorite jazz records turned under the needle. "You'd be raking the gold in like autumn leaves; you know how girls are with half-human performers."

"I don't think I'm handsome enough to be a 'teen idol'," he said tiredly, but the corners of his mouth twitched upwards.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Lupin," Lisa said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I find you _leagues_ more handsome than that vampire, Lorcan d'Eath. Or, if you don't want the attention and paparazzi-infested life, you could form a band with the Marauders. You already have a name and everything!"

Remus laughed lightly at that prospect, picturing himself and his friends on stage – Sirius in all probability shirtless, and James with a necktie around his head, like he did sometimes in Hogwarts when he had too much Firewhisky. The weight in his chest lightened significantly, and his arms coiled around his girlfriend's waist.

"I've always pictured you playing the bass," Lisa added, twisting a bit of his hair around her finger. "And James would be vocals, Sirius on lead guitar and Peter on the drums! You will be a bigger success than the _Hobgoblins_."

"Too bad none of us know how to play."

"That's not a necessity nowadays." Lisa smirked. "You just have to learn to lip-sync. Can't be that hard—"

Their banter was interrupted by faint tapping on glass. The couple turned their heads in the direction of the sound and saw Gwen, Lisa's tawny owl, knocking on the window.

"Must be from Lily, I wrote her two days ago," Lisa said, reluctantly letting go of Remus and going over to let the bird in. As soon as she unfurled the piece of parchment attached to its leg, however, Lisa immediately recognized the messy handwriting of James Potter.

 _Next Saturday,_ _The Hopping Pot_ _, NO excuses!_

"A pub, huh?" Lisa said, trying desperately to hide the disdain in her voice.

The last thing they could afford to waste money on in their current situation were drinks. Yet, as Lisa looked over to Remus and saw his whole face brightened up by the prospect of seeing his friends, she couldn't help but smile back. They'd make it work somehow.

* * *

 _ **A\N:** This is the third installment of the Lisa Fawley stories, which I have listed on my profile in chronological order. I will try to make it so reading the previous parts is not necessary, but sometimes I just can't help it, so if something confused you, you can always ask me about it, I'll get back to you as soon as I can :) For returning readers, thank you so much, your support means the world to me! I'll try to make this entertaining and give you something good to come back to every week. I plan for this to span the three years of the First Wizarding War, so get your tissues ready. Things are about to get serious. _


	2. The Voice of Reason

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **The Voice of Reason**

Lisa shivered a bit in her white summer dress (one of the few pieces of clothing that weren't as worn out as the rest of her wardrobe) despite the brown overcoat. Remus' hand was warm in hers as they walked down the street, and just thinking about it made her feel a little better. The minute they entered the Hopping Pot pub, they spotted Lily, James and Sirius at a booth in the corner, waving at them enthusiastically.

"I see you're not late for once, Padfoot." Remus smiled at his friend while Lily was suffocating Lisa in a tight hug.

Sirius smirked back. "I see you haven't lost your knack for quips every time you see me, Moony."

"Where's Peter?" Lisa asked as the two of them sat down next to Lily.

"Hasn't shown up yet. But we don't have to wait for him with dry throats," James replied and whistled to the waitress.

"Isn't it a bit cold for summer dresses, Fawley?" Sirius said to Lisa. "Not that I mind," he added, sweeping her with his eyes.

James laughed. "Careful, Padfoot, Moony looks like he's about ready to jinx you under the table."

"What'll it be?" a bored-looking young witch asked, coming to their table and holding up a quill and parchment.

"A bottle of your best Firewhisky!" James proclaimed loudly and Lily giggled.

"Do you have to make everything so dramatic?" the redhead asked with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm not being dramatic!" he exclaimed defensively, prompting a snicker from the others.

"Mate, you can make _peeling potatoes_ dramatic," Sirius quipped.

"We're celebrating!" James insisted. "I'm allowed to be as theatrical as I please!"

"And what _are_ we celebrating?" Remus asked. "That owl made it sound like you inherited a _second_ fortune."

Lily and James exchanged mysterious looks and he smirked, but neither of them said anything.

"I think we should wait for Wormy," Lily suggested after a small pause. "I mean, so everyone's here. Does he still work at the Owl Post Office?" she turned to Lisa, whose previous job was located across the street.

"Um, I er... I haven't been over there in a while, but I suppose..." Lisa trailed off, her face turning pink. She hadn't even told Remus that she had been fired yet. "I think I need to use the loo. Lily?"

"What do you need her for, to hold up your skirt?" Sirius quipped, but got a swift kick to the shins from the redhead before she got up.

The two young women walked to the other side of the bar, then down a short red-painted corridor and through a door on the left marked 'WC'. Once inside, Lily closed the door and placed a muffling charm on it. Lisa had always made fun of the idea of girls going in groups to the toilet in school.

"Is something the matter?" Lily asked.

"Not really... I just wanted to... ask you a favor," Lisa said, looking away to the sinks. "You're still studying for a Healer, right?"

"... Yes?" Lily drawled.

"I just need... I would get them myself, but it's seventeen sickles a pound, those cheapskates..." Lisa mumbled under her breath. "I need Dittany. And powdered silver."

Lily gave her a bewildered look. "Medical supplies? Why?"

Lisa's face turned pink again. "Look, I really wouldn't ask if I had another way out, but... the full moon doesn't always go without hiccups for Remus now that we're out of Hogwarts, and the healing spells I know don't work on werewolf bites... and... he has enough scars already."

The room was quiet for a minute.

"Lisa... twenty sickles isn't that much. Are you guys... having trouble?"

The blonde witch took a while to answer. "I got fired three days ago. Remus keeps getting rejection letters..."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Lily exclaimed with concern. "All you had to do was ask, we have plenty—"

"Lily, please. We don't need charity. Just the Dittany," Lisa said, trying to retain some sort of poise.

Lily looked at her with her big almond-shaped eyes, begging, pleading. The pair of brown ones that stared back were hard as steel.

"Alright," the redhead consented. "I'll send them to you as soon as I can. But I still think... I know how hard it must be, going from being a rich pureblood to—"

"You think this is about _pride_?" Lisa hissed. "I don't give a toss about saving face!" She stopped to take a deep, sharp breath to get rid of the sudden irritation. "I don't want Remus to feel worse than he already does about this," Lisa said slowly. "Taking money from someone else means admitting that he can't give me everything I need. But he does. _He really does_. I just don't want him to think otherwise."

Lily studied her friend's expression for a whole minute, then reached out to caress her arm comfortingly, offering a small smile. "Alright. I suppose I get that."

Lisa sighed, but returned it. "Thanks. Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you. Don't tell James? He'll make a whole deal about it."

Lily's smile grew slightly. "Sure."

When they made it back to the table, Peter had already arrived.

"Wormy!" Lily exclaimed heartily, and the two women each gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Wormtail gets kisses, and all I get are kicks in the shins..." Sirius murmured under his breath, and the whole table laughed.

"How've you been, Pete? We haven't heard from you in two weeks," James asked, draping his arm around Lily's shoulders when she sat down.

"Er, you know... the office keeps me busy..." Peter smiled awkwardly.

"So, now that we're all here, can we hear about this bloody important news? I've been on the edge for an hour!" Sirius whined. Lily and James exchanged another look and smiled at each other.

"Yes, it's about time we told you," James started. "Yesterday I—"

But before he could finish, a bulky owl pecked on the pub window. The bartender went over to open it, and the bird made its way to the Marauders' table, dropping a large red envelope in front of Lisa.

"Is that a Howler? What are you, twelve?" Sirius snorted.

Lisa stared at the letter, petrified, while Remus and Peter looked around in confusion. Lily and James, being the only ones who had previously seen the owl, gave her sympathetic looks. James quickly pointed his wand under the table and cast the _Muffliato_ charm at the few other patrons of the wizarding pub.

"You should open it," Lily said gently. "You know it will be worse if you don't."

Lisa shot her a desperate look. Whatever her grandfather felt the need to send her, she did not want Remus to hear it.

"Who is it from?" Remus asked softly, almost making her jump. "This isn't your parents' owl. Who else would be sending you a Howler?"

Lisa turned to look at him and realization graced his eyes, just as the letter exploded and Hector Fawley's magically enhanced voice boomed from the envelope.

" _A WEREWOLF!?_ WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!? AS IF IT WAS NOT ENOUGH YOU DECIDED TO RUN OFF WITH A HALFBLOOD, HE'S A WEREWOLF TO BOOT! LISA FAWLEY, YOU HAVE DISGRACED OUR FAMILY NAME! DIDN'T YOU FOR A SECOND THINK HOW THIS WOULD AFFECT THE REST OF US? TO HAVE A DARK CREATURE ON THE FAMILY TREE, TO HEAR THE SNEERS AND ENDURE LETTERS OF CONDOLENCE FROM THE OTHER PUREBLOODS! DID YOU NOT THINK OF THE CONSEQUENCES THIS FLING OF YOURS WILL HAVE ON THE ENTIRE BLOODLINE!? I WAS WILLING TO HUMOR YOU, THINKING THE REBELLION OF YOUTH NEEDS TO RUN ITS COURSE, BUT THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH! YOU WILL MARCH RIGHT BACK HOME AND YOU WILL _END_ THIS NONSENSE, AND I NEVER WANT TO HEAR THE NAME 'LUPIN' SPOKEN AGAIN IN MY PRESENCE!"

The letter caught on fire and burned to ashes. The Marauders and Lily exchanged awkward and worries glances, as silence fell over the group. Remus was staring at the spot where the Howler used to be, before his gaze fell to the table. Next to him, Lisa was shaking with barely contained anger. Her fists were clenched and her nostrils were flaring. For a few seconds, no one did anything, then she stood up abruptly and stormed out the door. Lily and James exchanged a look and nodded at each other slightly, before he ran after Lisa, as the redhead laid her hand on Remus' forearm.

"Don't feel bad," Lily said softly when the werewolf silently buried his face in his hands. "Their generation is different than ours. He just doesn't understand..."

"B-but... how did he even find out...?" Peter asked uncertainly.

"Use your brain, Pete. Moony is required by law to tell his employers what he is. Word got out and some pureblooded arse wrote to the Fawleys to tell them. Those blighters all keep in touch, so it's easier to interbreed," Sirius said with disgust.

"It doesn't matter how they found out," came Remus' strangled voice. "They know. Everyday I get a different reminder in how many ways I've ruined Lisa's life."

"You haven't ruined anything..." Lily started.

"Haven't I?" he snapped, looking up from his palms. " _Look at her_ , Lily. Because of me, she has scars on her face. Because of me, she had to sell a big chunk of her belongings, just so we can make the rent! Because of me she has to live in a run down one-bedroom flat in the slums of London, when just a few months ago she woke up every day in a big mansion where ten house elves looked to her every need! Look at what I've brought her down to!"

To his surprise, Lily only smiled kindly at him.

"You're looking at all the wrong places," she said. "When I look as Lisa, I don't see her scars or her clothes. I see her smile when she looks at you. I see her happiness when you wrap your arm around her. You know as well as I that she never cared about those robes she sold, or the trinkets her mother made her wear at parties. All she needs is you."

"This is her family we're talking about, Lily," Remus said quietly, looking down at the table again. "People she cares about, rejecting her because she chose a life with me. How am I supposed to look her in the eyes, knowing how much pain this is causing her?"

"She didn't seem _in pain_ ," Sirius scoffed. "Moony, I know this is what you do, but you're over thinking it. No one cares about what a bunch of stuck-up blood-purists have to say about your relationship."

"She cares!" Remus protested.

"Does she _look_ like she cares!? Take it from someone who's heard this kind of shite straight from the cradle – if that's how they think, we're better off without them."

"Sirius, you don't understand." Remus sighed tiredly. "Her family is not like yours. They just want what's best for her."

"If that were true, they'd see _you_ are what's best for her, and they'd leave her alone," Sirius snapped. "This is about prejudice, pure and simple. They want her on the arm of some stick-in-the-arse pureblood like my brother or my brain-dead cousins."

"She rejected that life, and she made her own choice," Lily added. "Just be glad for it and ignore what everyone else says."

Remus looked at each of his friends in turn, and then leaned back with a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"I know how you feel," Lily continued, rubbing his upper arm comfortingly. "It's not easy when you're not accepted by the family of the person you love. The Potters were very nice people, but if they were still alive I think they would have had... reservations about me."

"Puh-lease." Sirius said and rolled his eyes. "Like there's a person on this planet that hasn't instantly fallen inlove with Miss Perfect Prefect Evans."

"Miss Perfect _Head Girl_ Evans, thank you very much!" Lily said jokingly and slapped his shoulder playfully.

Then, suddenly, Remus' hand shot out and grabbed her wrist firmly. "... Not a Miss Evans for much longer, it seems." He grinned, as all three men stared at the glinting piece of jewelry on her finger.

Lily blushed, but gave them all a radiant smile.

* * *

oOo

"Lisa, wait!" James called after the fuming blonde but she didn't even slow down, her angry steps echoing against the cobbled street. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the bloody Owl Post and sending my grandfather a Howler so loud it'll break his windows!"

"It's 10 o'clock on a Saturday, the Post Office is closed!" he shouted after her.

Lisa stopped and whirled around to glare at him. "Then I'm going to apparate straight to Low Row and howl in person!" she snapped and made to spin on her heel, but James caught her arm and held her firmly in place.

"And what would that accomplish? You think your grandfather will come around after you yell his ears off?"

"I can't just go back in there and do nothing, James!" Lisa shouted. "I hate this! I hate how capable and qualified Remus is, yet people keep rejecting him! I hate how our last landlord gave him this dirty look when he finally figured out where he goes at the full moon! I hate how helpless I feel, because I can't just hex anyone who opens their mouth about it! I hate seeing him smile and nod as they insult him and spit at his feet! I hate that he has to face all of this adversity for something completely out of his control, and here's my own family, calling him a Dark Creature! A _creature_ , James!"

"You think you're the only one that feels that way?!" he snapped, making her shut up and look at him. "You think the Marauders like it any more than you do? I get where you're coming from, we all feel the same, but throwing tantrums and yelling won't fix anything. You think Moony will be happy about you getting into another argument for his sake?"

Lisa's anger wavered, then slowly subsided. Her balled up fists fell to her side. "This isn't fair. He's amazing, but no one will even give him a chance," she said bitterly, looking down at the ground.

"Life isn't fair, and neither is war," James said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just look around you. Muggles are dying left and right without even knowing why. Muggle-borns are being treated like cockroaches simply because their parents are not magical. Your sister was murdered just because she happened to be in the way. The werewolf hate is at least partly justified. You've seen up close how savage they can be." His eyes slid down the claw marks on the right side of her face.

"If wizards didn't treat them this way, they wouldn't have to resort to joining Voldemort," Lisa countered.

"Their reasons don't matter. Most are on his side, and people are naturally scared. I don't like that Remus is taking the fall for that, but while the war is still going, you won't have much luck preaching for werewolf rights. Right now, he needs you to be there to support him, not to shout in his name."

Lisa looked into her friend's hazel eyes and wondered how the arrogant brat, who three years ago bewitched dusty chalkboard erasers to follow the Slytherins around and hit every part of them they could reach, was now a responsible and levelheaded _adult_. James Potter, an adult. The concept alone was a bit laughable.

"Since when are _you_ the voice of reason?" she said with a small smile.

James gave her a lopsided grin, but before he could answer, a loud yell came from inside the pub and Sirius bolted out the door, tackling him to the ground.

"Why didn't you tell us, you git!" Sirius shouted from the floor, as Lily, Peter and Remus followed him outside.

"I was waiting for everyone to be here, you big oaf! Get _off_ me!" James yelled in return.

Lisa watched the two former Gryffindors pick themselves up, her eyes darting between the others questioningly.

"James... asked me to marry him last night!" Lily explained happily, holding out her hand.

Lisa gasped and brought it up to her eyes to inspect the diamond on it, then gave out a girly high-pitched squeal, drawing the redhead into a tight hug. "That's amazing! Congratulations!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around James' neck next. "Why didn't you tell us you were planning on popping the question?"

"Oh, he did," Remus chimed in from the side, wearing a broad smile. "He's been going on about it for weeks. Sorry I didn't tell you, he swore me to secrecy."

Lisa laughed lightheartedly and gave him a hug too. The Howler was instantly forgotten, and the group of friends walked back inside, happily chatting about venues and guest lists, and listening to James re-tell the proposal story with great enthusiasm.

Nearly six hours and four bottles of Firewhisky later, James and Lily had to take the incoherently hammered Sirius home, and Peter hiccuped once or twice and mumbled something about his mother killing him for staying out this late, before waving to his friends and disaparating. Lisa hadn't exactly had only one drink, but Remus still remembered the hangover from the last time he got drunk, so he nursed the same glass all night. She stumbled into him and giggled uncontrollably as he caught on to her tightly and apparated.

Lisa blinked up at the street lamp, and slowly registered they were not standing in front of their apartment building. The smell of garbage was missing.

"Where are we?" she asked dazedly, looking around.

"Twenty minutes from home," Remus answered, placing her hand on his arm and slowly pulling her down the street. "I thought the fresh air might do you some good before we got back."

Lisa laughed and leaned on his shoulder. "Oh yes, let us walk through the most dangerous part of London while I'm too pissed to even point my wand. Great plan."

"There is nothing to be worried about. The scariest thing around here is me," he quipped, sending her into another fit of giggles.

"So we're not counting the muggle criminals?"

"I'd like to think I can handle a muggle robber."

"My hero."

Remus chuckled, and she hugged his arm and nuzzled her face into his jacket as they walked. Why was the smell of him so wonderful?

They continued down the street in silence for a few minutes, and out in the chilly November night, away from more pleasant distractions, his mind wandered back to the red envelope.

"Lisa?"

"Mmm?"

"... Are you happy?"

"Right now? Immensely." She grinned and lifted her head to look at him. He couldn't help but return it.

"I meant the last couple of months."

"What's not to be happy about? Falling asleep in your arms? Check. Waking up to tea and breakfast each morning? Check. Getting to look at you reading the morning paper? Double check."

"What does me reading the paper have to do with anything?" he asked amusedly.

She screwed her face up in thought. "I'm not really sure. It just gives me this warm, fuzzy feeling."

Remus shook his head. Lisa always found the strangest things about him attractive.

"Aren't you sick of eating stale food?" he asked.

Lisa shrugged indifferently. "Food is food. It doesn't bother me. And it's not _always_ stale."

"How about the constant moving? And the clothes you had to sell?"

"Pft, those fancy robes, you mean?" She waved dismissively. "You know I'd never wear them anyway; they were only taking up space."

"Still—"

" _Taking up space!_ Why are you making me talk about this, it's giving me a headache."

Remus fell silent. But it didn't last long.

"What about during the day?" he said.

"Huh?" Lisa looked up at him questioningly.

"Are you only happy at night?"

"Well, I don't get to see you during the day. How do you expect me to be happy without you?" she said cheekily.

Remus once again felt a small smirk bloom on his face. "I just wanted to make sure you don't have regrets about this."

"Oh, I have regrets alright," Lisa grumbled. "I regret not destroying that Howler the second it arrived. That's what brought this on, isn't it?"

He sighed. She could always read him like an open book.

"I'm afraid I've... ruined your life," he admitted quietly.

"The only thing you're ruining right now is my buzz. If I didn't want to be here, I'd leave. So relax."

Despite logic, Remus felt his heart sink. He didn't even want to imagine her leaving.

"Don't," he uttered softly.

"Don't what?"

"Don't leave."

Lisa made him stop, and was not at all surprised to see his eyes full of guilt. She chuckled and coiled her arms around his neck. "Changed our tune, have we? What happened to the 'I'm too dangerous' routine?"

"It got replaced."

"Replaced by what?"

He pulled her into a tight embrace and buried his face in her shoulder. "By 'I'm not strong enough'. Not strong enough to face it all without you. There's so much discrimination of werewolves in wizarding society... some days it feels as if the whole world is against me. People can't even look me in the eyes once they find out what I am. Sometimes I feel like giving up, moving to a place where no one knows and living like a muggle... but then I remember about the war and the Order, and I know I can't. I have to buckle down, grow up and face all of it head on. And I'm giving it my best, I really am, but sometimes the only thing that gets me through the day is knowing I get to come back home to you."

"You can be so dramatic," Lisa mumbled and shifted her head to kiss his neck. "Let's get something straight, then. I am not leaving, and you really need to stop feeling guilty about it. I'm not an idiot, and I know what the consequences are. You didn't put a wand to my head and force me into anything, and if my family or anyone else has a problem with it – tough, because I'm not about to let anyone tell me how to live my life. Now take me home, before I've passed out."

Remus pulled back to look at her face and leaned down to kiss her. She tasted strongly of Firewhisky.


	3. Family Matters

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Family Matters**

Lisa woke up with a spinning headache.

The bed was empty, and the shabby grey curtains were pulled over the single window on the right wall, submerging the room in pleasant darkness. She laid between the sheets for a while longer, trying to decide between staying in the dark and going to find Remus, but in the end the darkness lost out. Groaning loudly, Lisa pushed herself into a sitting position and immediately felt the room spin. She caught her head in one hand, trying to steady herself; she'd never been hangover before.

Fighting the urge to be sick, Lisa made her way to the door to open it and was immediately assaulted by the bright daylight. It was as if someone flashed a lit wand right in her face. Staying still to let her eyes adjust, she registered quiet whistling coming from the tiny kitchen. Tiptoeing around the corner, Lisa saw Remus was cooking. Something warm that felt way better than the Firewhisky spilled inside her, making her smile. His back was turned to her, but he was so amazingly attractive in that worn sky-blue sweater she felt like she could just stand there and watch him all day. Something was sizzling in a frying pan as he hummed one of his favorite old jazz standards, and lost in the pleasant sounds and sight, she lost track of time.

Lisa didn't know how long she was just standing there, leaning against the wall and watching him, but at some point he turned around, carrying a plate of French toast.

"Hey. I see you're up. How do you feel?" he asked softly, setting the plate down on the kitchen and walking over.

"Like hell," she replied, sinking into his arms. "If I knew this was what being hungover was like, I would've stuck with Gillywater."

His body shook with a silent chuckle. "I made breakfast, but if you'd rather go back to bed..."

"No, I want to stay. What time is it anyway?"

"About eight. It's still early."

"I've only slept for four hours?" Lisa groaned and headed to the table. Bloody biological clock!

She collapsed into a chair and had to bite her tongue to keep herself from asking where the rest of the breakfast was. Back home, she had a choice of at least four dishes, and even the French toast always came with a side of _something_. Remus caressed her back as he sat down, and it immediately made her forget about any complaints.

Just as she took the first bite, however, someone knocked on the door, loudly and insistently. Lisa's hands flew up to her head and she moaned in pain, as Remus struggled to keep the amused smirk off his face and got up to see who it was, wand at the ready.

"Is she here?" Lisa heard a female voice say, and her head perked up in surprise.

Remus seemed to be just as stunned because he remained quiet for a couple of seconds. "I... Yes. Please, come in."

Lisa stood up just in time to be swept up in her mother's arms. Her startled eyes traveled to the door, and she saw her father follow suit and Remus close the door behind them.

"Mr. Fawley," the young werewolf said in greeting and held out his hand. The older wizard only eyed it wearily, and after a few hesitant moments, Remus withdrew it and opted for a welcoming smile instead. "How have you been?"

"We've been well," Mr. Fawley responded curtly, and Lisa groaned internally. Not her dad too!

Mrs. Fawley let go of her and looked around, a clear look of distaste on her face. "So this is where you live," she said, trying to be polite, her eyes stopping at the battered table, the sunken in, misshapen couch, and the mysterious orange-brown spots on the wallpaper.

Lisa felt her entire body stiffen. "Why are you here, Mum? Don't you know it's dangerous?"

"We came to take you home," Mr. Fawley said firmly, taking a step forward.

"And where would that be? Our house was blown up by Death Eaters, remember?" Lisa said and tried to pull back, but her mother's grip on her upper arm was as strong as steel.

"We've gone back to Low Row," Mr. Fawley said. "Your grandfather—"

"My grandfather has made his feelings about the way I live my life quite clear last night," Lisa said, her voice suddenly cold. "I just didn't think you shared them."

"We can't allow you to continue living like this, sweetheart," Mrs. Fawley said, her eyes sweeping the room again. "These conditions..."

"Lisa," Mr. Fawley started slowly. "This isn't a game."

"Isn't it? Well then, I suggest you stop pretending. We both know why you're really here, and it's not because you suddenly disapprove of my living conditions!" Lisa snapped.

"We _do_ disagree with your living conditions," her father countered, his face hard. "You shouldn't be living like this!"

"Like _what_ , Dad? Do you mean in the poor part of London or with a werewolf?"

Three pairs of startled eyes stared at her, but she was too angry to care. She wasn't going to dance around the issue all day.

"You want to cut straight to the chase – fine! It's not safe to be around one of _them_ ," Mr. Fawley spat.

"A _werewolf_ , Dad! They're called werewolves, and they're just as safe to be around as anyone else when it's not a full moon!"

"It's not that simple..." Mr. Fawley growled through gritted teeth.

Lisa's rage bubbled up to the surface and erupted like a volcano. "YES IT IS! It's prejudice, is what this is, pure and simple! You and your bigoted, narrow-minded rubbish! So it was all right to invite Remus to dinner and to see me go off alone with him when you thought he was just a half-blood, but now he's suddenly beneath you!? I thought you were better than this! You defended him in front of Grandpa, you told me you were happy I chose to be with someone intelligent and kind, instead of one of those stuck up purebloods, and look at you now! You can't even _look_ at him!"

She made two angry steps forward and grabbed a hold of Remus' hand, while he looked as if he wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.

"That was when I thought he was human!" Mr. Fawley exploded. "He's a Dark Creature! They are classified as Beasts by the Ministry and I cannot—"

"You hypocritical tosser!" Lisa interrupted angrily. Her mother looked like she was about to faint. "He's still the same person he was last Christmas! And I _know_ you were corresponding all throughout our seventh year, asking him how I was doing! How can you stand there and talk to me about him being a Dark Creature, when only a week ago you would've trusted him with my life?"

"Werewolves are _not_ to be trusted! He's only pretending to care about you, can't you see that?! He's not _capable_ of love! He's a monster!"

Silence fell over the room, heavy and charged with emotion.

"Get. Out," Lisa said quietly, the feeling of Remus' hand in hers the only thing keeping her from whipping out her wand.

"Lisa..."

"I said. Get. Out," she repeated, glaring daggers into her father. He returned it with full force before grinding his teeth and making for the door.

"No, Robert! I will not lose another daughter!" Mrs. Fawley shrieked and caught on to his arm.

"And what do you want me to do about it!? That filthy beast is probably feeding her love po—"

Even Remus couldn't keep her back from that, and Lisa snatched the wand he was still holding in his other hand and sent her father flying out the door. Mrs. Fawley screamed and ran over to him, helping him scramble back to his feet. As soon as he regained his balance, something Lisa had never seen before flashed in his eyes, and his wand was suddenly out, pointed at his daughter. Before he knew what he was doing, Remus' body moved on its own, and he stepped in front of her, holding out his free hand defensively.

"Mr. Fawley, please," he said imploringly. "I understand this cannot be easy for you, but there's no need for violence..."

"Don't speak to me, werewolf!" Mr. Fawley snapped and a jet of red light flew from the tip of his wand, but just before it hit, collided with a shiny silver shield. Remus squeezed Lisa's fingers lightly. A nosy neighbor popped his head out of apartment 2/3 and blinked curiously at the two couples.

"Go," Lisa said through gritted teeth as her shield faded away. "I am not a little girl anymore, and you can't control my life. When you're ready to talk to _us_ like civilized wizards, then you can come and find me. Until then, stay the hell out of my life." With that, she waved the wand and the door slammed shut, leaving her mother in tears and her father close to another outburst.

Lisa sighed and ran a hand through her hair, letting go of Remus and sitting back down on the table. She had eaten half a French toast by the time he finally joined her.

"Don't you dare," she said and glared at him when he opened his mouth to speak. "I'm not interested in whatever self-deprecating speech you have in mind, and I don't want to listen to apologies either."

She returned her attention to her breakfast, and he just stood there for a few minutes, before his fingers curled over hers silently.

"... Your shield didn't break this time. That was some excellent spellwork."

She shot him an amused look and intertwined their fingers, looking out at the first November snow falling just outside the window.

* * *

oOo

Lisa adjusted the fake glasses she wore and looked around the muggle diner wearily. The tight black pencil skirt really wasn't something she was used to wearing, and the high heels had killed her ankles on the way there. How did other women do this? She couldn't even walk in those things for a bloody half-hour! The clothes did not feel natural on her at all, and she constantly fidgeted with the ruffles on her white blouse nervously. What was taking so long?

"Elizabeth Bennet?"

Lisa looked up at the tall, platinum-blonde woman that approached her, and had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from giggling uncontrollably. She was wearing a neon blue top, clashing horribly with the big orange belt around her waist and the tacky red pants.

"Yes. You are Cassandra, I presume?" Lisa said, standing up and shaking hands with the woman.

"Should we get a booth?" the blonde asked, and Lisa could only nod and follow. They waited for the ginger-haired waitress to take their order, before she finally exploded in laughter.

"Okay, I know you do _not_ own a red pair of pants. Where did you get this?" Lisa asked in-between giggles.

"I bought it. You would not believe the embarrassment I had to go through. See what I do for you?" the other woman said playfully and removed her sunglasses, allowing the clear blue eyes of Dorcas Meadowes to stare back at Lisa and twinkle with amusement. "How about you? I know for a fact you would never wear a skirt like this. And have you ever worn high heels in your life?"

Lisa laughed. "Skirt is Lily's. Blouse and heels are Marlene's. They think I've gone to some job interview. Did your hair have to be such a Malfoy shade of blonde? I swear, for a second there I thought you were him."

Dorcas snorted loudly, just as the waitress returned with their food and drinks. "Hey, this whole disguise thing was _your_ idea. And at least I don't look like a female version of my boyfriend," she quipped, bringing some chips to her mouth.

"What? I do not!" Lisa exclaimed indignantly.

Her friend raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Please. Your hair is the same tawny brown, and if he were a bird, he'd dress up like a middle school assistant principle too. And those fake glasses don't exactly hide the eyes. You made them the exact shade of green as his on accident?"

"Should I be concerned you know the exact shade of green of my boyfriend's eyes?" Lisa asked playfully, sipping her drink.

"Oh yes, I'll seduce him to the Dark Side." Dorcas wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Because last time a Death Eater tried to put the moves on him, it went so well."

"First off, you're not really a Death Eater. Secondly, she made it out alive, so what's the problem?"

Dorcas bit her lip.

Lisa gave her a desperate look. "Oh, Cass, not you too! Please tell me you haven't developed prejudice against werewolves."

"I haven't... _developed_ them," Dorcas said. "You have to admit, her life did sort of get flushed down the toilet that night."

"Being a werewolf is not that big of a deal!"

"To you. It's not that big of a deal _to you_ , and that's because you're dating one."

"Can we not do this right now?" Lisa said irritably. "I haven't seen you in months; I don't really want to talk about werewolf prejudice. How's the mission going?"

Dorcas shrugged nonchalantly. "How you'd expect. There's a lot of sneering at muggle-borns, a lot of jabber as to what it'll be like once Voldemort takes over. The usual stuff. Evan introduced me to his family last Friday."

"Oh yeah?" Lisa took a sip from her straw. "How'd that go?"

"Kinda bad. They wanted him to marry a pureblood, but he basically told them all of the eligible women were taken already. You gotta move fast if you want to nab a suitable woman in these times. So he had to settle for a half-blood, and so do his parents. Though we aren't thinking of getting married, so they're just letting him have his fun."

Lisa put the cup down. "That's not... that's not _really_ how he feels about you. Is it?"

Dorcas shrugged indifferently. "He tells me it isn't." Her friend observed at her in silence as she took a bite from her sandwich.

"You still love him, don't you," Lisa said. It wasn't a question.

Dorcas stopped chewing and her eyes fixed on Lisa's. It was amazing how even though they were a completely different color, they were still so familiarly piercing. She swallowed, then said slowly, "That has nothing to do with anything. I told you already. He hates me."

"He does not hate you," Lisa said, placing a hand on her friend's arm. "He was devastated when he thought you'd turned on us."

"Again, nothing to do with anything." Dorcas pulled away. "We snogged once, it was nice. He thinks I've betrayed you _and_ him _and_ all his friends. Whatever we had is gone. Can we move on already?"

"Cass..."

"How about your family?" Dorcas said firmly, trying to change the subject. "Your parents liked Lupin, last time I checked. Is your grandfather still resisting?"

Lisa's face immediately fell and a crease appeared between her eyebrows.

"Uh-oh. Did something happen?" Dorcas asked with concern.

"I threw my dad across the hall," Lisa said darkly.

Dorcas almost choked on a chip. "You _what_?"

"Someone leaked Remus' furry secret to them," Lisa said with a scowl. "My grandfather sent me a Howler. Next thing I know, my parents are at my door, telling me I can't keep living like that because werewolves are _incapable_ of love." She growled he last few words, and the sandwich crumpled in her hand, which quickly became covered in ketchup as pieces of lettuce and chicken fell back into the plate. Dorcas silently handed her a napkin.

"I know what you're thinking. That I overreacted," Lisa said, throwing her a look.

Dorcas stared at her thoughtfully. "Don't _you_ think that?"

Lisa looked down at the table. "He said that word. My dad."

"What word?"

"Monster."

Dorcas reached out and squeezed Lisa's hand.

"Lately things have been a little... stressed," Lisa continued. "I can live without money, but I can't live with Remus thinking he brings me down. That Howler my grandfather sent me, it exploded right in front of him. And then when my parents came over, he offered to shake my dad's hand. And Dad just... glared at it. I still can't believe my own father... I know I probably should've talked about it more, tried to get him to understand... But you know what, there is nothing more to say. Prejudice is what it is. I just... can't be a part of a family that treats Remus this way."

"Lisa," Dorcas started gently. "I know you're angry, but... they're your _family_. They raised you, they took care of you, and they love you. You know you can't just sever ties like that."

"It wasn't just like that," Lisa said bitterly. "We've been drifting apart ever since Julie died. I blamed them for what happened to her for so long, by the time I came around I was already in the Order, and then all those things happened... I haven't even seen them since Christmas."

"Not true. You saw them for your 'engagement'," Dorcas corrected with a light laugh.

Lisa couldn't help but join in. "That was a complete farce. If it were up to me, we would've told them there was no way in hell it was happening right away, but James and his stupid hesitation... if he'd just let me break it off when it was just us and his parents, there wouldn't have been an engagement dinner, and I wouldn't have had to hex anyone."

Dorcas snorted. "To be honest, I can't believe your parents still stuck by you after that."

"Well, they weren't there, were they?" Lisa pointed out. "It was my grandpa that arranged that whole fiasco."

"They still supported you. Even though they thought you were dating a half-blood."

"I _am_ dating a half-blood!" Lisa snapped. "And I don't give a toss about their bloody hypocrisy! They loved Remus before they found out he was a werewolf, they invited him to dinner and treated him kindly. Why should knowing that one more bit about him change the way they view him completely? Is he still smart? Is he still a prefect? Is he still well-mannered and kind? Then they had _no_ right to act this way towards him!"

"Alright," Dorcas said soothingly, seeing the tears beginning to well up in her friend's eyes and rubbing her back comfortingly. "Why don't we talk about something happier? I think the Death Eaters might try to kill you. Want me to tell you details?"

Lisa looked at her and gave out a shaky laugh, wiping the tears away. "Is that why you wanted to meet?"

"Partly," Dorcas admitted, reaching in her purse. "Mostly I wanted to give you this."

A heavy bag of gold jingled as it made contact with the wooden surface of the table. Lisa's eyes lingered on it before she opened her mouth to protest, but Dorcas cut her off.

"Shut up. There's no way I'm letting you having to starve to pay rent. Think of this as payment for the Invisibility cloak you loaned me."

"Cass..."

"I said, shut up and take it. No one will know I gave it to you; this is from my personal vault. If anyone bothers asking, which let's face it – no one will, I'll just tell them I stuffed my face at a very expensive restaurant."

"Cass, I..."

Dorcas grunted impatiently and stuffed the gold in Lisa's bag. "There. I don't care if you refuse your friends or your cousin, but you'll take it from me. No objections. Speaking of Frank, how does he feel about the whole werewolf thing?"

"Everyone in the Order knows, so he's known for a while now," Lisa said, looking down at her uneaten sandwich. "He told me at his wedding that he was a bit put off at first, but he came around. I sort of feel like he's the only real family I've got left. And I _will_ pay you back for this gold."

"You don't need to pay me back, and what about your Aunt Augusta? Does she know?"

"No idea. She wouldn't be too thrilled if she did, but I don't think she'd outright disown me. Then again, that's what I thought of Dad, too. But after seeing my grandfather's reaction, I'd guess all of the pureblood circles know by this point. I bet you Rosier will tell you all about it when you get back."

"Speaking of that," Dorcas said, her voice serious, "I wanted to give you a heads up – The Dark Lord is not pleased. He's still obsessed with the Sword of Gryffindor. He was talking about how the Order is keeping it from him. Mulciber claims you know where it is."

Lisa felt like someone threw a whole bucket of icy, cold water on her head at the mention of Mulciber, but forced her voice to be calm when she spoke. Dorcas still didn't know what happened near the end of seventh year.

"I do. I hid it."

"Well, they think so too. Evan is convinced you left it with your parents for safekeeping, but Mulciber insists you have it on you. The Dark Lord really wants that thing for some reason, and he offered to reward whoever brings it to him. A big chunk of his followers are insane, and Bellatrix Lestrange in particular had a very dangerous gleam in her eyes. I want you to be extra careful from now on, and I think we should meet like this once a week so I can teach you Occlumency."

"Occlumency?" Lisa's eyebrows connected in a frown. "Since when can you do that?"

"Since halfway through seventh year," her friend confessed. "Dumbledore gave me private lessons before I joined the Death Eaters. You know Voldemort is a skilled Legilimens, so I had to be able to pass off my lies. I agree with Dumbledore that for whatever purpose he wants the Sword, it's not a good one. In the instance they catch you, not that they will if I can help it, they'll try to get the location out of you. I think it's a good idea to teach you to defend your mind, is all."

"And they won't notice you going missing to give me these 'lessons'?" Lisa asked skeptically.

"We'll coordinate through the notebooks; it won't be a set day or hour. We can pull it off."

"I don't know, Cass... this sounds too dangerous..."

Dorcas smirked, a playful flame in her eyes. "And when has that ever stopped you?"

Lisa returned the smile, but on the inside she was very conflicted. On one hand, she wanted to see Dorcas more often, but on the other, this would put her in immense danger. Could she risk it?


	4. A Bad Feeling

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **A Bad Feeling**

"I have to go."

"Five more minutes."

"This is the sixth time you've said that."

"Just a little longer..."

"I should've been there half an hour ago."

"It's still early," Lisa whined and nuzzled his neck.

Remus sighed deeply but tightened his embrace around her. He knew she was being extra affectionate because of all the werewolf backlash they had been dealing with lately, but he couldn't deny he enjoyed it, and couldn't will himself to bring her out of it. And he didn't want to leave either, when it was just so pleasant and warm to sit with her in their worn, sunken-in couch, covered with a blanket and reading, two smoking cups of tea on the table in front of them.

Suddenly, a loud bang came from the door, startling them. The couple exchanged glances and reached for their wands, just as the door flew open and Sirius Black stumbled in, wand held high.

"What the hell, Moony!?" he exclaimed as Remus lowered his. "You were supposed to meet us at the bloody woods; we thought something happened to you! Did you forget what day it is!?"

Remus sighed. "Of course I haven't. I just got a little... held up."

"By what, the blankets?! Get your arse up, and let's _go_! Wormy and Prongs went to check with the Order HQ and your job, I'll send them a patronus to tell them I've found you."

Remus made to get up, but Lisa's hands clutched his shirt under the covers. He turned to look at her, and she just stared back with those big, brown eyes...

"Sirius, would you mind waiting outside? I'll be there in five minutes."

His friend threw him an indignant look, but Remus' eyes were locked with those of his girlfriend.

"Five minutes!? Moony, have you lost your _mind_? The moon is about to rise, we don't _have_ five minutes!"

"The moonrise isn't for another hour. Just wait for me, I'll be right there."

Sirius was about to protest, but Lisa and Remus were looking at each other in _that_ way again, making him feel like he was intruding on something private. He muttered complaints under his breath, but turned on his heel and went outside, closing the door of the flat behind him.

As soon as he heard the slam, Remus drew her close and crashed his lips into hers passionately. Lisa's fingers tightened and crumpled the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer as his hands moved up to cup her face. He tasted so sweetly, and she could feel his heart beat against his chest and his ragged breaths echo in her ears. If she could only keep this moment going forever, keep him here, next to her, safe, and warm, and happy...

And then the moment ended, and he broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers.

"I have to go."

"... I know."

He left one last, long kiss on her forehead, then he got up and walked to the coat rack, putting on his jacket.

"Remus," she called after him.

"Yes?"

"I... Don't forget your hat."

He gave her a smile and pulled the hat over his head, then swung the door open, only to be greeted by Sirius' ranting.

Lisa sank back into the couch miserably. Maybe it was the stress of the war, or the 'constant vigilance' she was always reminded to practice, but she just couldn't shake this bad feeling in her gut. She stared out the window at the swirling bits of white, sipping from her mug thoughtfully. Remus wasn't serious when he suggested it in May, but Lisa wished more than anything that she really could just wrap him up in blankets and keep him safe at home for the rest of his life. She knew she couldn't, but the idea was so _tempting_. It would keep him safe from sneers and hostile glares, from insults and curses, from Death Eaters and werewolf packs.

She knew the Marauders would never let anything happen to him on a full moon night, but she didn't like not knowing what was going on. It was a well-known fact by this point that Voldemort was amassing an army of all manner of Dark Creatures, and that he didn't particularly care what they did or where they roamed as long as they answered his call. Literally at every moment, they could run into something out there, and James, Sirius and Peter would have to choose between staying in animal form and risk taking on some Dark Creature without wands or becoming human and having Remus turn on them and try to kill them. Neither option was very good.

A strong gust of wind blew the window open, and Lisa got up and walked over to close it when something caught her eye. A figure was standing under the broken street lamp across the street, snow falling all around it. The person was definitely male, a long black hood covering his features and a thin piece of wood showing from his right sleeve. For a few seconds he didn't move at all, then the head lifted, but the face remained in the shadows. He looked straight up at Lisa and silently held her gaze. Was he a Death Eater? She gripped the windowpane harder, ready to duck if he fired a spell, but he remained motionless. She risked a quick step back into the room to grab her wand, but by the time she made it back to the window, he was gone.

Lisa threw on a coat and ran down the stairs of her building, stopping only when she reached the exit to the street. She peeked outside carefully and cast _Homenum Revelio_. The street was empty. Cautiously, she walked out and approached the lamppost. There was no sign of the mysterious figure, but there were clear indentations in the thin layer of snow where he had stood. She hadn't imagined it. Someone was watching her.

* * *

oOo

"Oh, lay off, Padfoot," James said, throwing a bag of crisps at Peter and taking a seat around the fire Sirius just conjured at the edge of the forest. "So he wanted to get in a snog or two before it was time to go and freeze his arse off in this snow. Can you blame him?"

"He's right, Prongs," Remus said with a sigh, warming his hands on the magical flames. "I should have been more responsible."

"Is there something you _don't_ feel you should be more responsible about?" Peter rolled his eyes and James sniggered.

"Look, mate, I'd get it if you and Fawley needed some shag time, but at least sent a patronus so we don't think a killing curse got you," Sirius said, taking a big swig from a flask of Firewhisky, then passing it around.

"Or so we wouldn't have to listen to Padfoot complain," James threw in. "Talk about fate worse than death..."

"You filthy hypocrite! After all the Evans-pining we had to endure, you have the gall to say _I'm_ the worst whiner?!" Sirius exclaimed indignantly, causing Peter to giggle.

Remus smirked, lifting the flask to his lips. "He's got you there, Prongs."

"I did only _moderate_ complaining, most of the time I was too busy of thinking how to impress her. At least I _did_ something about it, instead of staring holes into her from across the bloody Library and being a spineless git," James said lightheartedly, shooting a glance at Remus.

"At least it took _me_ only about a year to go from pining to having a girlfriend, instead of _four_ ," Remus quipped back.

"Pft. As if, Moony, you get no credit there," James said amid his friends' laughter and took the flask Remus handed him. "She did all the work on that one. If it were up to you, you'd _still_ be pining."

"I seem to remember Lily being the one to initiate your relationship as well. Does that mean you get no credit for winning her over?"

"Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty," Sirius cut in just as James opened his mouth to respond, and Peter swiped the flask. "Can't we just agree I am the best womanizer and be done with it?"

"Now that you mention it, you've been suspiciously single this year, Padfoot," James said with a slight smirk. "Have you started considering seeing what playing on the other side is like?"

"I'm not the one who switched sides," Sirius muttered dejectedly against the flask Peter returned to him, but his friends were too busy laughing to hear.

"Yes, but he has shagged more birds than all of us combined. So I'd say he's still 'top dog'," Peter chuckled.

"That's really not saying much, Wormtail. The three of us have collectively shagged two girls so far," Remus pointed out.

"That count would've been higher if you'd manned up in that cupboard with Lila Fenton in fifth year," James said to Remus, who immediately felt the blood rush to his face.

"That was the most embarrassing night of my life, and if you ever—"

"He's turning red as a tomato!" Peter cut in with a loud laugh, clapping a hand to his knee.

Sirius barked a laugh too. "Should've seen his face when I told Lisa about it."

"You told her? When!?" James exclaimed, amused, but disappointed he'd missed that.

"Last New Years, when you were busy snogging Evans."

"Yeah, thanks a lot for _that_ one," Remus said. "She made me tell her about every single romantic experience I've ever had, then laughed her arse off at my expense."

" _All_ of your romantic experiences? Why, that must've taken two whole minutes!" James said and the Marauders exploded in laughter again.

"Speaking of romantic experiences... Wormtail, I saw you with a pretty bird last week. Care to share?" Sirius said with a smirk and draped an arm over Peter's shoulders.

The latter's face instantly turned a very interesting violet-red hue. "She's no one!"

"Didn't seem like no one," Sirius pressed. "I saw you walk her to the door, and you even managed to get a little action. Why are you hiding her from us?"

"I'm not hiding her!" Peter said defensively. "I was planning on telling you... I was just waiting for the right time."

"Our little, Pete – no longer a virgin! I think I just might cry!" James said, patting Peter on the back.

"Who's the lucky lady?" Remus added.

"... Her name is Vanessa. We met a few weeks ago, she works in an apothecary on Diagon Alley. My mother had that itch again, so I went to..."

A white rabbit sprang from a nearby bush and ran between the trees. Remus' eyes followed it, and his attention wandered until Peter's story faded into background noise. Lisa had to spend the night alone. He hated that fact. He hated knowing that she would be all by herself in their shabby, run-down flat in the most dangerous part of the city, while Death Eaters were rampaging every night. It terrified him that while he had to be away, something might happen to her. While he knew she could take care of herself, the image of someone sneaking in and attacking her in her sleep just wouldn't leave his head. He and James had suggested to Lily and Lisa that they spend the full moon nights together for their own safety, but all they got in response were eyerolls and snickers. The two witches both made it perfectly clear in the past that they would not stay away from the action, but Remus couldn't help but worry. No matter how skilled with a wand a person is, during the night, alone, their defenses are lowered, they're vulnerable...

"You really need to stop doing that, mate," James' voice came from his right, and Remus turned to look at him. "You've had that expression every full moon since we left Hogwarts."

"Yeah, if you keep worrying so much, you'll get a brain tumor," Sirius added. "Prongs here has a bird at home too, and he's not half as paranoid."

Remus sighed and looked at the ground. Was he really so transparent to them?

"Lily isn't on the Death Eaters' hit list," he said quietly.

"Doesn't mean they'll show her any mercy," James pointed out.

"But they're not _actively_ searching for her, either. And she lives in an out-of-the-way wizarding village, not in the middle of the worst borough in London."

"Are you worried about _muggle_ criminals?" Sirius scoffed. "You know Fawley's protective enchantments can keep anyone out. Lily hasn't studied defensive magic so thoroughly, so I'd say that's one in Lisa's column."

"We aren't keeping _score_ ," James said. "But if we were, Lily's been in more battles, and she's better at healing spells," he added quickly.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "They're both _fine_. They survived the last four or five months, why should tonight be any different?"

Remus sighed. "I don't know. I just have this feeling..."

"You have that feeling every time you have to detach yourself from her hip. Why don't we just teach Lisa how to become an Animagus?" Peter suggested. "That way she can just come with us, and we wouldn't have to be anxious about missing a full moon. Plus, Moony won't be all sullen and worried about her all the time."

"Pete, we can't just take a girl with us on our Marauder time!" Sirius exclaimed. "As if she and Evans don't invade our lives enough as it is. Can't we have at least one thing that isn't stained by the cootie-ridden stink of girls?"

Peter and James sniggered again.

"Grow up, Sirius," Remus said with another sigh.

"Yeah, since when is the cootie-ridden stink of girls a bad thing? What are you, six years old?" James quipped.

"How girls smell is beside the point! The full moons are for the four of us, and no one else!" Sirius insisted.

"We are fighting a war, though. What happens if we're all on missions, and no one is here to roam around with Moony?" James said thoughtfully. "Or if we die."

Peter blanched, but none of the others reacted to this idea.

"Yes, dying would be bad," Sirius agreed. "Oh bloody hell, fine! We'll teach Fawley the intricacies of—"

"No," Remus cut him off. The three men looked at him, but he was staring intently into the fire.

"Moony, what if we just can't make it on a certain night?" Peter tried to say.

"Then I'll handle it on my own. I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, you'll keep Lisa as far away from me as possible during a transformation."

Remus looked at each of his friends in turn, eyes hard. James nodded, soon followed by Sirius.

"But wouldn't it be—" Peter started again.

"No, it wouldn't," Remus said firmly, looking up to the sky and rising to his feet. He could feel the moon drawing near in his very bones and knew it would rise soon. He had almost killed Lisa while transformed in the past, twice. He couldn't stop his friends from accompanying him, but he could sure as hell make certain she never came close enough a third time, no matter what form she took.

* * *

oOo

Remus was far from being in top shape the next morning, and even though the rest of the Marauders were also feeling beyond tired, they held on to him and Apparated together to the crummy part of Hackney, where he lived. Knowing that he couldn't climb five flights of stairs in this condition, James and Sirius each draped an arm around their shoulders and helped Remus along, Peter tailing behind them.

"There you go, mate. Another night in which you failed to outrun a rabbit to add to your record, Padfoot," James quipped at Sirius as they let go of Remus, who stood on his shaky legs and fumbled with his keys.

"I could have outrun it, but the blasted things always hide in mid-chase," Sirius said in his defense, making the Marauders snigger.

"Excuses, excuses..." Peter mumbled.

Remus shook his head at his friends' shenanigans, but as his hand rose to the keyhole, the smile fell from his face and his entire body froze. The door was slightly ajar. The keys slipped from his fingers as a heavy, cold feeling spread through his entire body, and before he knew it, the wand was in his hand and he barged in. The scene left him breathless.

The couch where he had left Lisa was ripped in places; the blanket they were covered with last night lay discarded on the ground, dirty and covered in footprints. The table and chairs were all overturned and broken; the floor was covered with smashed pieces of ceramic and flying pages of books.

"What..." came Peter's strangled voice behind him, but Remus ignored him and rushed into the bedroom, his heart beating like a battering ram in his chest.

The traveling trunks that still hadn't been completely emptied since their last move were broken into piles of splinters. Their contents were once again strewed on the floor, along with the bed sheets and the pillows, whose stuffing was scattered around the room in white tufts. Remus' whole world spun wildly, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

 _No. No, no, no, no! This couldn't be happening!_

"Moony."

James' voice pulled him out of the pit his mind was slipping into. He needed to keep a clear head. If he untangled this quickly enough, maybe there was still a chance it wasn't too late. Remus spun on his heel and went back into the other room, passing by Peter, who was inspecting the mess in the bathroom. Sirius and James were kneeling next to the blanket on the floor.

"Look at this," James sad as Remus came closer. "Footprints."

The werewolf's eyes swept the dirty green cover. "Three different sets of shoes. Three people. And this," he pointed to one of the prints, "this shape suggests a heeled shoe. Two men and a woman."

"Could be the Lestranges," Sirius said. The three men exchanged grim looks.

"Let's hope not," James said.

Remus stood up, and his eyes darted around the room quickly. The furniture was broken, but other than the usual mysterious spots that had always been there, the walls were clean. There wasn't even a drop of blood in sight. Nothing was burned or cut, or showed any other signs of spell impact. Hope bubbled inside Remus, and his gaze turned to the coat rack. Lisa's coat was missing.

"We need to go," he said shortly and put his wand away. The Marauders looked at him as if he had just announced he was the Dark Lord.

"Go?" Sirius echoed. "Go where?"

"James and Lily's," Remus replied and made for the door. His friends exchanged baffled looks but followed him.

"What about Lisa?" James called after him.

"She'll find us there. There are no signs of struggle, which means she must've made it out before it happened," Remus said confidently. "No matter what went down here, it's unsafe to remain. She'll come to Godric's Hollow when she can."

* * *

oOo

"Maybe you should get some sleep?" Lily tried to suggest a few hours later.

The Marauders were all gathered in the den of the Potter Cottage, nursing big mugs of coffee. Peter had lost the battle to exhaustion long ago and was sleeping on the couch next to Remus, a silencing charm making his snores inaudible. Sirius was in danger of becoming the next to fall, as his eyes kept closing for a few seconds at a time before he furiously batted them to blink away the sleep. He did usually go to bed late, though it had been a while since he pulled an all-nighter, and even longer since it was on a full moon, but he was determined to stick it out. James alternated between sitting down and standing up and pacing to keep himself from falling asleep. Remus just sat back on the couch, eyes staring unseeingly up at the ceiling. The shadows under his eyes were more pronounced than ever, not helped by his pale complexion. Even if he closed his eyes, he couldn't sleep. Not while Lisa was missing.

"We're fine, Lil," James said and tried to give his fiancée a small smile. Then he sank back in one of the armchairs with a low grunt and took off his glasses, massaging his tired eyes with one hand.

Lily looked at each of them in turn and wished she could do more than bring them coffee and blankets. She approached the armchair Sirius was currently curled up on and draped a fuzzy brown blanket over him.

"Get that away from me, woman," he said raspily. "If I get more comfortable I'll drift off."

"Depriving yourselves of sleep won't help anything," Lily said gently, but he still shrugged it off. She sighed and gave the cover to Peter instead, sliding down between him and Remus. "She'll be okay," Lily whispered, leaning her head on the werewolf's shoulder. "She's been in tighter spots before."

He sighed. "I know."

That thought didn't make him feel any better. Lily rubbed his arm comfortingly, and he tried to tell himself that he was right, that the clues were all there. Lisa got away. She must have. He needed to believe that.


	5. The Raven

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **The Raven**

"Lisa."

The blonde girl stirred in the couch, knocking the empty mug down to the floor. It hit the ground and shattered into pieces, jerking her awake. The window was wide open again, the cold air blowing inside, piecing her body even through the blanket. She must have fallen asleep. A ghostly silver bird was perched on the table in front of her, and for a second, she thought she was still dreaming. Then its mouth opened and it spoke.

"Lisa, get out of there. Now. They're coming."

Lisa froze. _A talking patronus_. Only the members of the Order could make a talking patronus, and this bird (a raven, judging by the shape) did not belong to any one of them. What was going on?

She reached for her wand in the darkness. Whoever sent her that warning may or may not be lying, but she wouldn't risk finding out. Summoning her coat and the hidden green notebook, Lisa quietly snuck out and locked the door behind her.

She made her way to the rubbish bins at the end of the street and crouched in their shadow, carefully observing the entrance to the building. After about twenty minutes, the coast was still clear. Was the Raven lying? If so, why? To get her out of the flat? It wasn't like there was anything of value to steal in there, and the only important possession she had was shrunken down to size and safely tucked in the front pocket of her jeans. So what was this about then?

Lisa looked up to the sky and yawned. It must be pretty late. Should she just give this up and go back in? After a bit of consideration, the young witch decided it was better to be safe than sorry, so she stood up, thinking she could spend the night in Sirius' currently empty apartment. Just as she was about to apparate, however, she saw three figures approach down the street.

"What a dump," one of them said, clearly a female. "And she _lives_ here? How can a pureblood fall so low?"

"She fucks a werewolf. I can't say it can get lower than _that_ ," a second voice said mockingly, and Lisa instantly recognized it as Avery's.

"Why is Mulciber so fascinated with this girl anyway? I barely even remember her from Hogwarts," the woman said.

"They have a history," Avery answered.

"... Ew. Don't tell me she went out with him before she got together with Lupin?"

"Not exactly. It's complicated."

Lisa felt cold goose bumps up her arms and had to fight back her gag reflex. Just when she had started to forget the Mulciber incident...

"I don't see how it is," the third person snorted, and Lisa recognized the platinum-blond glint of hair and the upturned nose of Lucius Malfoy. "He wants her. End of story. Oh, he may come up with a million excuses as to why, but it's simple lust. He may do whatever he wants with her, as far as I'm concerned, filthy blood traitors are almost as bad as mudbloods, but when he actually convinces the Dark Lord to send _us_ to find her, like we're some lowly _errand boys_ —"

"The Dark Lord couldn't care less about Fawley," Avery threw in. "He wants the bloody Sword. He's just as obsessed as Mulciber, except our boy intends to _use_ his prize rather than display her."

Lisa ducked even father into the shadows and almost stopped breathing as the people passed right by her.

"With the way he talks about it, I'd expect she wouldn't be very presentable by the time he's done with her," Malfoy added and paused in front of the building, looking up at the windows. Just as the trio was about to enter, the woman stopped them.

"Wait. What if the wolf left someone with her? We should know if we're walking into a fight."

She raised her wand and Lisa felt the low swoosh of a presence revealing charm. A startled cat jumped from one of the rubbish bins, landing on Lisa's shoulder. She gasped in surprise and fell backwards as the cat hissed loudly and ran off, causing some dog in a nearby flat to start barking. The Death Eaters exchanged looks, and all three took out their wands and began walking her way. Lisa scrambled backwards frantically, making even more noise. She managed to get to her feet and pull out her wand, then spun on her heel and disapparated.

' _That. Was so. Close_,' she thought, breathing in the cold winter air of the empty North London street she materialized on. Lisa straightened up and headed to the building on the right side of the road, pushing the door open and climbing the stairs quickly. Well, it turned out the Raven was telling the truth after all. Someone came for her, and if Dorcas was right, it was to extract information about the Sword. If she hadn't gotten that warning, this night could've ended very badly. But who was he? And why warn her?

Turning Sirius' spare key in the lock, Lisa let herself in the second floor flat and flopped on the black leather couch with a yawn. The questions could wait until morning, because right now, all she wanted was a good night sleep. She only half-glanced at the bedroom door before quickly shaking her head and dismissing the idea. The Marauders would be out all night anyway, but she did NOT even want to think what Sirius did in there and with whom. So she dragged her coat over as a makeshift blanket and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

oOo

When she awoke the next morning, everything was fine. Sirius still wasn't back yet, but the sun was high in the sky. Lisa checked the guitar-shaped clock on the wall – ten thirty. They should be back by now.

She ignored the heavy, sinking feeling in her stomach and got up, brushing the Padfoot hair from her clothes. If he wasn't here, he must be at James and Lily's. Maybe they were all there? Still, she wanted to swing by the flat to leave the notebook before going to check.

Lisa left the place in the state she found it, locked after herself and Apparated back to the rundown, dirty street of East London, where hers and Remus' flat was. She could see the occasional muggle drug addict or homeless person walk along the sidewalk, but other than that, there was not a living soul out and about. The sinking feeling intensified. ' _This doesn't mean anything,'_ she told herself sternly. Everyone was probably at work. As she walked along though, the absence of cars or any pedestrians unnerved her. It was all in her head, it had to be. It wasn't like she saw the Grim or anything.

Finally, her building came into view, and her eyes lingered on the space below the broken streetlamp. Was the person watching her last night the one who sent the raven? Who was he? And who was he following, her or Remus?

' _I must be a right mess,'_ she thought when she saw her reflection in the door glass, then slowly climbed the stairs to the fifth floor, trying to suppress a yawn. When she got to her door and reached inside her pocket for the keys, a metallic glint on the ground caught her attention. She approached and knelt down to inspect it. Her heart echoed painfully in her ears, and for a second, it was as if the whole world stood still.

Those were Remus' keys.

She looked up and her fears were confirmed – the door was open. Lisa pulled out her wand and entered carefully. The whole place was upside down. The cupboards over the sink lay open, as every single plate and glass they owned was in pieces on the floor. The couch was ripped, the table – broken, as was the old muggle gramophone in the corner, which Remus had given her for her seventeenth birthday. Advancing to the bedroom, Lisa let out a quiet sigh of relief. Books, clothes and other items were scattered everywhere, but the bed was empty and the mattress overturned. There were no bloodstains anywhere either, and that was a sign that they (hopefully) hadn't gotten to Remus as he was sleeping. Or at least that they hadn't killed him on the spot.

After making sure the flat was empty, Lisa sighed and ran a hand through her messy hair, thinking of her next move. When did this happen? Did they come for her last night after all? Or was it someone else, going after Remus? Did he meet with the intruders? Where _was_ he, and why hadn't he contacted her? She raised her wand, but lowered it just as quickly. The patronus had no way of knowing where the recipient was, and the message it conveyed could be freely heard by anyone. _If_ Remus was captured, which was not out of the realms of possibility, she could give the enemy sensitive information. She cast a glance around the ransacked flat for any kind of clues, but she couldn't pick things up like Remus could. He'd take one look around and tell you what happened, how long ago it was, and how many people were involved, just by looking at the way the plates were broken or something. But, assuming he wasn't captured, where would he go? At his parents'? At the Order HQ?

"James and Lily's," Lisa muttered to herself and left the flat in a brisk pace.

* * *

oOo

James' family owned a small cottage in the wizarding village of Godric's Hollow. When both of his parents passed away that summer, he and Lily considered moving into the Potter Mansion, but neither of them found it a good fit for their fact-paced life. So they moved to Godric's Hollow, and their cozy house had become something of a 'Marauders Central'. Whenever any one of them was in trouble or needed a place to lay low, or if they just wanted to all get together for dinner, James and Lily's was always where they went.

Lisa materialized on the snow-covered street and made straight for the gate. She could see movement inside the house, and it gave her hope. It burned in her chest like a flame, drawing her closer, until she was running. Knocking on the door insistently, she could barely contain herself from just bursting in. The door swung, and Lily's tired, worried face came into view.

"Lisa," she breathed and squeezed the other girl in a quick hug.

"Please tell me Remus is here," Lisa said quietly.

Lily nodded and ushered her in. Making a beeline straight for the den, Lisa found the Marauders all there, looking half-dead with exhaustion. Remus and Peter were sprawled on the couch, Sirius and James curled up in the armchairs. When they saw her, James and Remus both leapt to their feet, as the latter moved to shorten the distance and embraced her tightly. Lisa's arms coiled around him and squeezed with equal force, and she closed her eyes in relief. He was safe. She breathed in his calming scent and felt like the world was right again.

After a few minutes, which felt like only a second, Remus backed away a little to look at her. "What happened? Where were you?"

"What do you mean? Where were _you_? I came back to the flat to find it ransacked. I thought they might've gotten to you!"

"So did I."

"We found the place already upside down," Sirius said from the side. "Moony took a look around and declared there was no sign of struggle, so we came here to wait for you to turn up."

"What happened after I left last night?" Remus asked.

Lisa sat him down and explained about the man with the hood, the raven that warned her, and how she decided it'd be safer to stay over at Sirius'.

"So you have a stalker," James concluded darkly.

"We don't know that. He could've just as easily been there for Remus," Lily threw in.

"But why did he warn me? Why get me out of there if he wanted to harm me?" Lisa asked.

"You're assuming the hooded man was the one that sent the raven," Remus said, his arm around Lisa's waist. "We have no proof that is the case. Or that he means you no harm."

"But if not him, then who? Who do we know that has a raven patronus?" Peter chimed in.

"No one," James said. "Only Order members use that method of communication. We'll talk to everyone tomorrow; try to find out if anyone's patronus has changed recently or if someone's leaked the spell."

"Maybe it was some Order associate?" Sirius suggested. "We know Dumbledore has people working for him indirectly..."

"No," Remus interrupted. "This person _knows_ Lisa, he called her by name. Whoever it is, he has either watched you a lot, or has talked to you at least once."

"Maybe it was... Dorcas?" Sirius said again, trying to hide the hopeful notes in his voice. "Maybe she's had a change of heart?"

"Dorcas' patronus is a panther, Sirius." Lisa gave him a sympathetic look. "And the voice that came out of it was male. I would've known immediately if it was her."

A long, heavy silence stretched over the room. The reminder of Dorcas' supposed betrayal still stung the Marauders, and Lisa looked down, pretending to be hurt as well.

"I'm glad you're okay, but I should really head back home," Peter said, patting Lisa's arm. "My mother will kill me for not telling her where I've been all night... might as well get it over with quickly."

"I should go too." Sirius stood up, a sullen expression on his face.

"You two can stay here for now," James said to Remus and Lisa.

Remus tried to get up. "We need to go back and fix that mess before the landlord—"

"I can do that," Lily offered, reaching for her jacket. "You two need rest. I'll clean up and talk to the landlord for you. James, try to get some sleep too," she added to her fiancé and kissed his cheek.

"I'm coming with you," he tried to protest, but it was evident he was barely keeping his eyes open..

"You'd only slow me down," Lily said with a slight smirk, and despite the stressful night, the Marauders all sniggered a bit.

"It's dangerous—"

"What's dangerous is the territory you're treading. Bed, now."

"I see Evans is in full-on Head Girl mode. I'd listen if I were you, Prongs," Sirius said with a laugh, and James sighed, finally surrendering. He walked Lily, Sirius and Peter to the door, then gave Lisa and Remus the fuzzy brown blanket and headed upstairs to lie in his own bed.

Lisa sank into Remus' arms and snuggled against his chest. She closed her eyes and felt his lips press to her forehead. A warm feeling swelled inside her, and she was so glad to have found him unharmed, she wanted once again to just keep him on the bloody couch forever. Her arms tightened around his torso, and she felt like telling him to never leave her sight again but bit her tongue, knowing it was useless. He wouldn't back down from the war, and neither would she, and clashing on the subject wouldn't yield anything. As if the life of a werewolf wasn't hard enough, she had to worry about random Death Eater raids and separate Order missions...

Lisa looked up and saw Remus had already drifted off to sleep, his cheek resting against her forehead. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes as well. If he hadn't chosen to be a soldier in this war, he wouldn't be Remus. And she loved him just the way he was.

* * *

oOo

"So now what? You'll move again?" Dorcas asked, bringing a bottle of Appletiser to her lips.

"Yeah." Lisa sighed, falling back on the bed she and Dorcas were sitting on. Since Dorcas was so adamant about those Legilimency lessons, they decided it'd be safest to meet in random muggle hotels, like they were having a secret love affair. "It'll probably be a week or so until we find something, we're staying with Lily and James for now. We have our eye on a few places in Croydon, though. I'll let you know the new address once we move in."

"Croydon? Moving up in the world, eh? Still a dump, though. I don't get it, why don't you at least try for a decent place?"

"Because we can't afford it," Lisa said sourly. "Besides, who cares? Nowhere is safe right now."

"It's just about a certain standard of living, Lisa! For Merlin's sake, you haven't spent money on anything but food in almost half a year!"

"And what _would_ I spend money on? My hair?" Lisa quipped lightheartedly.

"I don't know! Don't you ever just have an urge to buy something for yourself?"

Lisa rolled her eyes at her friend. "You're being dramatic, like always. Why don't you tell me something useful for a change, like if your patronus has changed recently."

Dorcas cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Why would my patronus change?"

"Because Sirius thought it might've been you that sent the raven," Lisa said causally but threw a shrewd look at her friend. Dorcas might be good at controlling her emotions, but even she had her slip-ups.

The hand holding the Appletiser bottle tightened slightly. "No, it wasn't."

"He was pretty hopeful about it... I think he's not as angry at you as you think."

Dorcas tried to shrug indifferently, but there was a tiny smile playing in the corner of her mouth.

"He doesn't _hate_ you at the very least," Lisa said. "I really think that if you—"

"Okay, you can stop with the oh-so-subtle hints, I get it," Dorcas snapped, suddenly irritated. "What do you expect me to do, huh? Run into his arms and confess my undying love for him? For all intents and purposes, I _am_ a Death Eater, and I will remain so for the foreseeable future. Even if I felt something for him, and even _if_ he returned it, I still have a job to do!"

Lisa looked at her sadly, sat up and reached for her friend's hand.

Dorcas sighed deeply. "I'm sorry. But honestly, let it go already."

"... Okay."

"As for your stalker's patronus, the only people I've spoken to recently have been Death Eaters, and none of them can even make one."

"None?" Lisa asked in surprise.

"They're too cowardly to even try it. Remember that old superstition that if a dark wizard tries to summon a patronus he'll be devoured by maggots coming from their wand?"

Lisa stared at her in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"They don't want to risk it." Dorcas shrugged. "Not to mention none of them actually _need_ it. They command the Dark Creatures, so the need to defend themselves is almost nonexistent."

"So we still have no idea who the Raven might be then," Lisa concluded, laying back down and staring up at the ceiling. "But at least we know he's not a Death Eater, so presumably I can trust him."

"I wouldn't be so quick to trust someone I've never met," Dorcas said. "I mean, if he truly meant you no harm he'd show his face."

"Maybe he's just afraid of openly helping the Order. If anyone knew, it would make him an automatic target."

"Or maybe it's your dad."

Lisa shot up into a sitting position and gaped at her friend. "What?"

"Well, do you know his patronus? He was a Ravenclaw, so a raven is not out of the question," Dorcas said reasonably as Lisa was trying to process it.

Was it possible that her dad was watching over her? It would make sense for him to hide his face if that were the case, seeing as Death Eaters were still looking for him. Would he really risk it all just to look over her after their falling out? And if he did, why didn't he tell her?


	6. Just Feel

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **Just Feel**

Today had been a relatively good day.

Remus finally got a job. A low-paying muggle job at a grocery store, but it was better than nothing. He'd have to quit after a while anyway. He didn't have to inform his muggle employers of his condition, but they would eventually fire him for his frequent disappearances or they'd start to get suspicious and he'd have to quit. Until then, restocking store shelves was better than roaming wizarding London aimlessly and counting his rejection letters.

Climbing the stairs to his new flat (well, the most recent dump), Remus threaded his fingers though his hair with a sigh, thinking of how he should tell Lisa. She never liked it when he took underpaying jobs. She kept insisting he deserved better, and he just couldn't get her to understand that it was the best he could get. Maybe if he—

Suddenly, a mad cackle interrupted his thoughts. Remus looked up in alarm and took the last two flights of stairs three steps at a time, storming into the flat without even bothering to take out his keys. His heart was echoing in his ears as he held his wand up, but what he found inside was only Lisa, kneeling next to his traveling trunk and laughing hysterically. When she saw him she laughed even harder, tears beginning to streak down her eyes. He gaped at her, completely confused, until she held up the book in her hands – his fourth year transfiguration textbook. Remus lowered the wand, his whole face burning with embarrassment, while she continued to struggle for breath, literally rolling on the floor. He closed the door to the flat and knelt down as well, taking the book in his hands and leafing through it.

Oh Merlin. It was even more juvenile than he remembered it. There was an accident in fourth year in which James and Sirius ended up burning their textbooks to a crisp, and Peter pretty much always forgot his, so all four Marauders shared Remus'. The pages were full of drawings of dicks, sometimes dueling, sometimes having tea. The boys had crude and not very short conversations scribbled over the Animagus theory, most of which included girls from their year and various parts of their bodies in some way. Although James and Sirius had been the main parties of the debates, his own neat handwriting could be seen here and there, adding his opinion on which girl's backside was the most spankable.

"Just wait... until... I show... Lily!" Lisa wheezed in between guffaws.

Remus' whole face turned the color or a ripe tomato, and he pointed his wand at the book, but Lisa threw herself at him with a 'Nooooooo!' and knocked him to the ground, pinning him under her.

"No, you can't destroy it, this is _gold_!" she said, still giggling like mad. Remus felt a heavy sense of dread in his stomach at the thought of more people reading his idiotic drivel.

"Lisa, I was _fourteen_. We all were! We were just messing around; please don't show this to Lily. Or anyone else," he pleaded desperately.

" _But the dueling dicks!_ Come on, people _need_ to see this; it's the best thing in the universe!"

"People do not need to see me and the Marauders discussing our preferred breast size!"

" _Yes they do!_ All of my life has been leading up to this moment! I can finally die happy!" Lisa insisted, almost suffocating from laughter and clutching the book tightly in her hand again.

"Lisa, _please_! If you show that to anyone, I will die of embarrassment!"

"I promise to bury you in your best suit."

"Lisa!"

"Remus, people need to know about your use of the word 'bootylicious'!"

"That was _one_ time, I was—" But he couldn't finish, because she exploded in another violent fit of laughter and her whole body shook on top of his. "No one will find it _that_ amusing, most boys that age talk like—"

"Yes, they will! This is like my birthday and Christmas all coming on the same day!" Lisa gushed, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

A silvery dove, flying through the closed window, interrupted any further protesting.

"Dementors at Golden Square," it said in Alice Longbottom's voice.

Lisa and Remus exchanged glances, all traces of mirth dissipating like cigarette smoke. Then they shot to their feet and Lisa grabbed her keys while Remus took her coat from the rack, and the two of them ran out of the flat.

* * *

oOo

They Apparated on the dark street and immediately felt the Dementors' presence. The air was cold and piercing, and the dim light of the street lamps did little to help them see through the thick fog. The light of a spell flashed to the right, shortly followed by a yelp, coming from the opposite direction. Remus and Lisa exchanged a quick look, but knew what they had to do. With a heavy heart, she gave his fingers one last squeeze, and they tore down the two opposite ends of the street.

Lisa stumbled blindly through the fog, trying to get to the person in trouble, when she heard howling. Loud and savage, it made a cold chill run down her spine, and she stopped, looking around warily. The logical part of her brain told her this was impossible – the moon was not out yet, and even if it were, it wasn't a _full_ moon. But something still didn't feel right, and cold fear gripped her heart. It began beating on double speed. She thought she glimpsed flashing yellow eyes out of the corner of her eye, watching her from the mist, but as soon as she tried to focus on them, they melted into nothing. This couldn't be real, it couldn't be...

 _'_ _AWOOOOOOOO!'_

Lisa froze. It was all in her head. All in her head...

A terrified scream split the night.

"Marlene!" Lisa yelled, running in the direction of the sound.

After a minute of a mad dash through the thick whiteness, out of breath and panting heavily, Lisa spotted her friend kneeling on the ground, her hands buried in her blonde locks while a smudged silhouette was pointing a wand at her.

" _Stupify!_ "

The spell hit the stranger right in the chest, and he crumpled to the ground. Lisa ran over to her friend and peered into her wide eyes. She could still hear the howling, but something else tugged at the back of her mind. The air was getting colder. Fast.

"Mar! Stand up, come on!" Lisa cried, pulling on Marlene's arm. The other girl seemed to be in a stupor, tears falling from her wide eyes and onto the pavement. "Get a hold of yourself! We need to get out of here!" Lisa tried again and heaved with all her strength, pulling the other girl's arm over her shoulder.

Marlene continued to stare into space, and a chilling thought ran through Lisa's head, and she looked down at her in worry. Marlene couldn't have been Kissed, she couldn't have, people who received a Dementor's Kiss weren't capable of tears. Lisa coiled her arm around the other girl's waist and tried to pull her along, but some movement to her left caught her attention, and she let go, pointing her wand at the shape. The howling in her head got stronger.

A black hooded figure slid through the mist and drew closer, ignoring the unconscious figure on the ground. Marlene screamed again, her shrieks mixing with the calls of the werewolves. Lisa knew the spell, but her limbs felt numb, and her throat was dry as a desert.

" _Expecto_..." she said weakly. Marlene passed out, and her body sagged on Lisa's shoulder, weighing her down. Her knees buckled slightly. " _Expecto_..." she tried again, just as another black figure appeared in front of her.

Her heart was beating feverishly, pumping unadulterated fear through her veins. She could see yellow eyes everywhere, the howls were near defeating, and she could almost _feel_ sharp claws tearing at the skin of her back.

 _Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts_ , Lisa repeated to herself.

She thought of her best friend, of her bright smile and her sarcastic quips, and how she could die at any second, because she was surrounded by Death Eaters every minute of her life, and should any of them find out she was a spy, they would Avada her without a second thought...

She thought of her cousin, of her other friends, of all the good times they had, and how they were all in the Order now and could be getting a Kiss right this very second; how they were all fighting this hopeless battle, horribly outnumbered and outsmarted, stumbling blindly, surviving thanks to pure chance...

She thought of Remus, the person who kept her going through so many hardships, who made her feel like this war was worth fighting, who was despised just for breathing, who was thought of as a monster by everyone, including himself. The person she loved, who was in danger every day, who was so kind and strong, but all it would take was a single spell and the light in those gentle green eyes would go out, because she wouldn't be there, because she would fail to protect him, just like Makena Bradwell...

" _Expecto Patronum_ ," Lisa whispered, feeling the hot tracks of tears run down her face. The miserable white mist that came out of her wand mixed with the surrounding fog and didn't even slow down the two hooded shadows, who were now joined by a third. Lisa's knees sank a little more. Marlene was beginning to slip from her grasp.

One of the Dementors was close enough to touch her now, and it slowly extended his ghoulish, decomposed hand, wrapping it like a vice around Lisa's wrist. It reached for her chin, but she was completely paralyzed.

" _Expecto Patronum!_ "

Something big and silvery rammed into the Dementor from the side. Lisa sank to the ground, her body and Marlene's suddenly heavy as lead. Someone gripped her free hand firmly, and she felt herself being drawn into the very suffocating feeling of Apparition.

* * *

oOo

When she found herself on solid ground, Lisa let go of Marlene and dropped to her knees again, unable to stand. She was swimming in cold sweat, but at least she could breathe again, inhaling the fresh winter air that suddenly seemed tropically warm. A hand gripped her shoulder gently.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked with concern.

Lisa managed a weak nod. She tried to stand up, but her shaking legs couldn't hold her. Lily caught her before she could hit the pavement again and draped her arm over her shoulder, muttering a levitation charm towards Marlene's limp body. Lisa let herself be led into a house and seated in an armchair, then felt something warm and soft cover her shoulders.

"What happened out there?" Lily asked softly, sitting in the chair across her.

Lisa drew the blanket tighter around herself. "I don't know."

"I've seen you perform this charm dozens of times," Lily continued. "You've never had trouble with it."

"... I've never tried to do it while werewolves were howling in my ears," Lisa replied quietly.

Before Lily could respond to that they heard footsteps, and more people entered the room. Lisa finally looked up.

They were at Order HQ. Marlene was lying unconscious on Moody's couch, and Remus, Alice, Frank, Sirius and James had just entered. They were all pale and out of breath, but Frank rushed to Lisa's chair as soon as he saw her.

"Are you okay? Did they Kiss you?!" he asked frantically.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You'd have known immediately if she'd been Kissed, Longbottom. Does she look like a soulless shell to you?"

Remus walked over as well and knelt down next to the chair. "Are you hurt?" he asked softly.

"I'm alright," Lisa replied, avoiding his gaze. "Lily, can I talk to you?"

She stood up and headed to the kitchen. The others moved out of her way, and she patiently waited for the redhead to follow before muffling the room.

"How did you do it?" Lisa asked, cutting straight to the chase.

"How did I do what? The patronus?" Lily asked, confused.

"Yes." Lisa nodded. "I can't freeze up like this again. I need you to teach me what you did to block out the fear."

"I..." Lily hesitated. "I don't really know. I just... said the incantation and thought of a happy memory."

"I tried that," Lisa said in exasperation. "It... it didn't work."

Lily stared at her thoughtfully. "Maybe... your memory wasn't strong enough? What did you think of?"

"I thought of my friends," Lisa admitted. "... And then I thought of Remus."

Lily paused to consider this. "But what did you think of, specifically?"

"Specifically?" Lisa echoed. "I didn't get to specifics. The thoughts turned... bad. Quickly."

Her friend frowned. "In what way?"

"I just..." Lisa hugged herself, dragging the blanket tighter, as if it could help warm her chilled heart. "When I thought of Remus... the more I tried to remember how good he is and how happy he makes me... the more I began to fear losing him. The Dementors, they... they twisted everything. I kept thinking of all the pain and hardship he had to suffer through, and I couldn't stop thinking of how I might lose him, of how I might not be strong enough to protect him..." Tears choked her, and she had to stop.

"I think I understand what the problem is," Lily said gently. "You're thinking too much."

Lisa looked up. "I'm _thinking_ too much? Wasn't the point to think happy thoughts?"

Lily shook her head. "Not necessarily. You're supposed to gather that fuzzy feeling, that happiness, and then concentrate and sort of... mold your patronus out of it. It's not the _thought_ that is important. It's the feeling." Lisa stared at her blankly. "See, I think it might help if you... pick out a specific memory in advance. Something that makes you really happy," Lily continued. "And then when you face a Dementor, you don't have to think about Remus or all the sadness that comes with the war and his affliction, you only need to remember the way the memory made you feel and concentrate on that. Don't think. Just feel."

Just feel. Lisa closed her eyes and looked through her memories for one that made her feel happy. What made her happy?

Without her meaning to, something popped in her mind. A night not too long ago, when Remus was reading on their battered couch, and she was curled up in a nap on his shoulder, the green blanket covering them. He was warm and comforting around her, and the smell of him, books and tea filled her nostrils. His lips placed a soft kiss on her head and all she could hear was his calming heartbeat, thumping under her hand.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

Lisa lifted her wand, and, without having to saying a single word, her silvery rabbit jumped out and hopped happily around the kitchen.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Lil? Is everything all right in there?"

Lily exchanged a look with Lisa, and the latter nodded, undoing the muffling charm.

"We're fine, James!" the redhead yelled through the door.

Lisa sighed and went over to open it, finding James and Remus on the other side. Without a word, she buried her face in Remus' chest and mumbled, "I want to go home."

The werewolf threw a look at Lily, who only shook her head and said nothing.

"Alright," he said, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend and leading her to the exit.

* * *

oOo

As soon as Remus lied down in the bed, Lisa immediately hugged him tightly and pressed her lips to his neck.

"Are you really alright?" he whispered in the darkness.

"I am now," she replied, and he could feel her mouth curve into a smile against his skin.

"Was it the Dementors?" he said, caressing her arm gently.

"Yeah..." she admitted. "They got a little too close for comfort." Remus looked down at her in alarm. She laughed softly. "Relax, Lily came to the rescue. I'm fine, I was just a little shaken up."

His arms tightened around her. "We should have never split up."

"You know we had to. Marlene was faring pretty badly, if I hadn't gotten there when I did, she might not have made it." Lisa turned her head up in the dark. "Did you have trouble? I imagine being around those things was harder for you than it was for any of us."

"We have all seen the horrors of war," he said solemnly.

"But not all of us have bitten themselves bloody," she pointed out quietly.

"It was... more difficult than I expected," he admitted. "I'd read about the effects they have on people and I thought I was ready... but nothing can prepare you for the way you feel when they're near."

Lisa nodded in a silent agreement. "But you did it, didn't you? You produced a corporeal patronus?"

"Yes," he said, and was surprised at the way she sighed in his neck. "Couldn't you?"

"Not all of us are so magically gifted," she said bitterly. Of course he did it. He was a million times better than her. In anything.

To her surprise, he chuckled. "It had nothing to do with magical ability. I just have more powerful happy memories than most." He twisted his head to plant a light kiss on her forehead.

"Of course you'd say that," she mumbled grumpily.

Remus shrugged. "It's the truth."

"Yeah, yeah." Lisa yawned widely and snuggled up to him. It didn't really matter that he was so much more powerful than her. As long as she got to stay like this, lost in his scent and his warm embrace, feeling his heart beat under her fingers, nothing else mattered.

"I love you, Remus," she whispered.

His lips found hers, and his heart replied in their place.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._


	7. Something Incorruptible

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **Something Incorruptible**

The next day Lily showed up at the door around noon.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked while Lisa retrieved her broomstick.

Thankfully, Remus was at work. If he'd known what the two of them were up to, he'd definitely try to stop them.

"Yeah." Lisa nodded, fingers tightening around the wooden handle. "I have to. If I'm only going to practice in a safe place, I might as well not waste my breath."

Lily didn't like this, but she had to agree. "Still... are you sure you want to put yourself through that?"

Lisa gave her a small smile. "It'll be fine. I'll have you there. What's the worst that could happen?"

Lily gave her a sour look, and she snickered. "Those idiots really are rubbing off on you. Just because they pull stupid stunts all the time, doesn't mean we should too."

Lisa locked up and the two began to descend the stairs. "It will be _fine_ , Lily," she said. "We won't actually enter the place; we'll just... near it. And speaking of idiots, what did you tell James?"

"That I'm going shopping." Lily sniggered in her hand. "If there's something James hates, it's when I drag him shopping. You should have seen how quickly he made up some kitchen emergency; I think he blew up the sink just so he'd have an excuse not to go."

They laughed as they reached the ground floor, then Lisa swung her leg over the broom and Lily sat behind her, wrapping her hands tightly around her waist.

"Hey... are you sure you don't want me to steer? What if you feel sick?" the redhead suggested.

Lisa huffed. "Yeah, right. You'll fly us right into a tree!"

Lily gasped indignantly, but her protests were quickly drowned by the sudden acceleration. "Are you trying to kill us!? Slow down!" she yelled.

Lisa laughed loudly. "Fast is the only way I know how, Lily! Better get used to it!" And, leaning down against the broom, she picked up the speed even more, giggling as Lily shrieked and held on to her for dear life.

* * *

oOo

The air became significantly colder when they reached the coastline. Soon Lily was shivering against Lisa's back, and the broom swung slightly from the air currents. They didn't know exactly where Azkaban was located, but all they really needed was a general direction, and that wasn't hard to find. Just fly in the direction you least want to take.

"Lily," Lisa said after a while. "Do you hear anything?"

"No," the redhead said. "Do you?"

"Howling," Lisa replied shortly. "We must be getting close."

The waves were crashing down below them, and the grey sky gave them a feeling of claustrophobia. There was nothing but water as far as the eye could see, but they could tell it was close.

"Alright," Lisa said, bringing the broom to a stop. "This is as good place as any."

Lifting her hand from the handle, she reached inside her pocked and pulled out her wand, and then took a deep breath.

She tried to remember the warm feeling of Remus' lips, the smell of him and that night under the green blanket, but it was hard to remember warmth when you were chilled to the bone, hard to smell anything other than the salty air and feel something beneath the crushing sadness.

" _Expecto Patronum!_ " The only thing she managed to produce was a shabby mist.

"Keep it going," Lily said encouragingly, tightening her arms slightly.

Lisa tried to concentrate. Remember. Feel.

She tried to focus on the feeling of Remus' caress, but completely out of nowhere, Mulciber popped into her head, and the memory of his horrible touch made her shiver in disgust. Lisa trembled, the mist dissipated, and she almost fell off the broom, but her friend's arms held her up.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked worriedly.

Lisa nodded, but she really felt like she could be sick. Why did she have to remember this _now_ , of all times! Recovering from it had been hard enough, forgetting him and being intimate again with Remus had taken more than two months. She didn't need this right now!

"We can stop..." Lily said hesitantly. "No one said this has to happen right away. We can try again tomorrow, or..."

"No," Lisa said firmly. "There could be another attack tomorrow, and I'll be nothing more than dead weight. We're doing this _today_."

She swallowed thickly and raised her wand again. Practicing the spell while keeping the broom steady was hard enough, but on top of that, the howls in her head kept distracting her, unwanted memories of Mulciber broke her concentration just when she thought she'd got it, and thoughts of death and war nagged at her subconscious. It took a few hours before Lisa was willing to admit defeat, but even she could see that being exposed to Dementors for much longer would make her faint.

The broom soared over the sea and almost made it to the shore, but Lisa had to bring it to the ground, on some pier stretching into the dark waters. Her whole head was spinning.

The two girls sat down on one of the benches lining the wooden platform.

"Here," Lily said, breaking up a bar of chocolate.

"Thanks," Lisa replied, accepting it gratefully.

They sat down on a bench and nibbled at the candy.

"Maybe I should just think of something else," Lisa started thoughtfully. Perhaps Remus just wasn't a strong enough memory.

"Maybe..." Lily said slowly. "Is there something that makes you happier?"

Happier than Remus? Lisa thought about it, but she honestly couldn't think of anyone or anything that made her feel as good as he did.

"You know what, I think I'm just not happy," she said miserably.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you?"

"I... I thought I was! But if I am, then why isn't this charm working? If the happiest thing I can think of isn't happy enough—"

"Have you ever thought that the problem could be with your _un_ -happiness?"

Lisa stared at her friend blankly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Lily twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. "I just mean that you've been through a lot. Your sister was murdered, your best friend betrayed you, those werewolves almost ripped you apart..."

"That has nothing to do with anything!" Lisa snapped. "Remus has been through worse, but he did it!"

"Remus... he's easy to please," Lily said gently. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that what you two have is minor, but... even small things make him happy. He faces so much hate; the fact that he has someone to tell him it'll be alright is probably enough for him to make a patronus."

Lisa chuckled softly. Her hands were no longer shaking. The chocolate seemed to be taking effect. She turned to Lily. "What do you think of?"

"Me?" The redhead blushed. "I just... think of holding James' hand."

Lisa sniggered. "Right."

Then a voice from somewhere behind them said, "Well, well, well. What are two little birds doing here all alone?"

Lisa and Lily shot to their feet. Lisa's wand was still in her hand, but the second it took Lily to reach to her pocket was enough for a disarming charm to make it fly into Avery's open palm.

"Gross," he said and looked at it with disgust. "A mudblood's wand." He turned around and chucked it into the water.

Lisa stepped in front of Lily, her eyes darting form Avery's smirking face to those of his companions – Rosier, Regulus... and Dorcas.

"What are you doing here?" Dorcas hissed, the notes of panic in her voice barely showing under a thick layer of hostility.

"You don't own the pier," Lily said bitingly. "And I suppose we don't need to ask why _you're_ here? Your master pointed to a spot on the map and you Apparated there like the good lapdogs you are."

Rosier's wand whipped out of his pocket and metal shackles erupted from the bench, binding themselves to Lily's wrists and drawing her back sharply. A groan escaped her lips when she slammed against the wooded seat.

"Careful, mudblood," his deep voice rumbled. "Keep up that cheek and you might lose a limb."

Lisa's wand shifted from one Death Eater to the next, uncertain of who she should target. The second she fired a spell, it would leave her open to an attack. The Death Eaters stepped closer, forming a loose semi-circle around them. The young witch began to feel desperation weigh heavily in her chest. They were lost. There was no point in resisting anymore. This battle was lost, the war was hopeless, everything was hopeless...

Dorcas, Rosier, Avery and Regulus stopped advancing and looked around cautiously. The air felt a lot colder all of a sudden. Lisa threw a look at the water and saw thick fog rolling in slowly. Faint howling sounded in her ears.

The Death Eaters also turned their eyes to the sea, just in time to see a dozen hooded black silhouettes emerge from it, advancing towards them ominously.

Avery backed away, tripping over himself. "Dementors!" he yelled, Disappataring on the spot.

Regulus soon followed suit, but Dorcas stood her ground and locked eyes with Lisa. The two exchanged a very quick look, but the latter could tell what that determined glint in Dorcas' blue eyes meant – she wasn't about to leave her and Lily to the Dementors.

" _Stupefy!_ " Lisa shouted. Dorcas blocked it, but the message was clear: _'Go!'_ The ex-Slytherin gave a tiny shake of her head. Lisa gritted her teeth.

"Retreat!" Rosier shouted, grabbed Dorcas by the sleeve and Apparated away with her.

Lisa thanked Merlin mentally, though the relief was short-lived. The horrid creatures were still coming, but Lily was still chained. Lisa turned her attention to the shackles and tried a Severing Charm, Vanishing Charm, every spell she could think of – nothing worked. With the Dementors nearing, she could feel cold sweat on her brow, and the howling was making it hard to concentrate.

"Lisa," Lily said weakly from the bench, "you have to go."

"Don't even start, Lily! I'm not leaving you," Lisa growled, taking a step back. There had to be a way out of this, she just needed to _think of it_!

"There's no need for both of us to stay behind," Lily urged. Her emerald eyes were glistening with tears. "There are too many of them, you won't be able to—"

"I said I'm not leaving!" Lisa snapped, whirling around to face the incoming horde. Her heart was beating faster and faster, ghosts of big furry bodies kept swimming out of the fog, only to disappear when she tried to look closer. Lisa closed her eyes and tried with her whole being to concentrate on the spell. Happy memories. Happy memories. Happy memories, damn it!

" _Expecto Patronum!_ "

Her miserable mist couldn't stop a gnome. Lily kept struggling against the chains and trying to tell her to flee, but Lisa could hear none of it. The blood-chilling howl of the werewolves rang in her head like a siren and drowned out everything else. Her wand lowered. Her knees were begging to give way...

Suddenly, a white blur passed by her, flying straight at the Dementors. They slowed down but didn't stop completely. The patronus began to fly in a circle around the two young women, and Lisa could finally make out its shape – a raven. She felt a gust of air behind her, and a hand gripped her left shoulder, while someone's chest pressed against her back. She tried to turn around, but the hand held her firmly in place. A long arm aligned with her own, holding a dark-wood wand parallel to hers.

"If you don't do it now, we're all dead," a low male voice growled in her ear. "Dementors have a way of corrupting any happy thought you have, so you have to think of something they can't touch. Something incorruptible. What makes you feel better when you're sad?"

What made her feel better? Usually, Dorcas would try jokes. Even when Lisa was in a hospital bed, her best friend never failed to make some sort of quip. Dorcas had the sort of contagious laugh that always made you feel like you should laugh along, even if you don't have a clue what the joke was supposed to be.

The howling kept getting stronger in her ears, but Lisa just couldn't take it seriously with Dorcas' laugh chiming right along. The ridiculous thought that Dorcas would complain about the noise and threaten to file a complaint with the Beat Division of the Ministry suddenly popped into her head, and Lisa smiled.

That was it! The problem wasn't the memory. It was that she had to think of a specific _element_! She finally understood what Lily meant. Don't think about the memory. Think about the one single part of it that made you happy.

Lisa closed her eyes. Dorcas' laughter. Sirius' grin. The way James messed his hair. Frank's flawless Mad-Eye impression. Peter's face when she ruffled his hair. Lily's warm hand, supporting her on the broom.

Remus' heartbeat.

" _Expecto Patronum!_ "

A bright burst of light shot from Lisa's wand, so strong it blinded her. Her rabbit sprang froth, more brilliant than it had ever been. Lisa could feel the gentle warmth her patronus emitted, and it made her stand up straighter and breathe in deeper. She couldn't tell if the magic was coming out or going inside her, but she knew it was making her stronger. The Dementors stopped dead in their tracks, assaulted by the unusual shine. Then they averted their hooded faces and whirled around, fleeing from the waves of white radiance.

Lisa lowered her wand. The bunny continued to hop around her, dancing with the silver raven. Then she felt the person behind her pull back, and the bird dissipated.

"Wait!" she called after him, turning around. The man stopped. He was wearing his hood again, and all she could see was his dark-clad back. "Who are you?"

"I'm... someone who doesn't want to see you die," he said in the same low voice.

"But why? Why are you helping me?"

He was silent. Then he half-turned and said, "Let's just say that lately it's the only thing I can do that doesn't make me feel like scum."

"Wait!" she called again, but this time he did not even hesitate. Turning on his heel, he disapparated in a swirl of black.


	8. Secrets and Trust

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **Secrets and Trust**

Remus checked his watch. 12:30. He had a half-hour lunch break, so he put on his coat and reached for the Аpothecary keys, when a the bell above the door rang merrily.

"Hello, kind sir. I was wondering if you could help me? I'm looking for a special blend of dried nettles and beetle powder."

Remus looked up to see his girlfriend, smiling broadly at him.

"Lisa! What are you doing here?" he asked, unable to keep the big grin from blooming on his face.

"We work close now, so I thought I'd surprise you!" Lisa said happily, holding up a plastic bag he assumed to be full of food.

"You are incredible," he said, kissing her cheek swiftly. "Is that Shepherd's Pie?"

"Mmm, it sure is." Lisa giggled, impressed that he could smell it through the plastic take-away box. "You love it, I love it, why fight the inevitable?"

Remus chuckled again and reached for the keys that lay on the counter, when an angry man with an impressive black mustache rushed in.

"You!" The man, Mr. Canham, the owner of the apothecary, pointed a finger at Remus, his eyes burning with rage and indignation. "Out! Now! I never want to see your snout here again, do you understand? Get lost!"

"Of course, sir. I'll just need—"

"I SAID OUT! You filthy, disgusting animal, how could you keep your true nature from me?"

"Mr. Canham, I get paid by the hour and—"

"You're asking me for _money_?" The wand whipped out of the man's pocket, and a spell fired from its tip but collided with a powerful shield charm only centimeters from Remus' chest. Lisa's wand was raised, her eyes burning with rage.

"And what is your reason for letting him go? Has he been performing poorly?" she asked, her anger bubbling just under the surface. Remus groaned internally.

"I decide who I employ and who I don't!" Mr. Canham sputtered, his wand aimed at her now.

"Mr. Canham, please, she didn't—"

"Leave my sight at once and be glad I didn't call the Werewolf Capture Unit! Monsters like you should be put down on the spot!" Mr. Canham said with contempt, spitting at Remus' feat. They young werewolf decided not to push the issue and quickly dragged his fuming girlfriend out of the apothecary before her temper had the chance to explode.

"What are you doing? He owes you yesterday's and this morning's wage! As if you weren't already working for scraps!" Lisa exclaimed indignantly.

Remus sighed deeply. "There's no point. At least the curse didn't hit me this time." As soon as the words left his mouth he winced, realizing his mistake.

"... This time?"

Remus looked down at the ground. He had spared Lisa and the Marauders the details of his many firings, knowing that their Gryffindor nature would flare up and they'd go seek justice in his name, while all he wanted to do was leave it behind him and not cause any more problems. People were right to be scared, to be disgusted by him. He was a werewolf, after all. A monster.

Remus felt Lisa's fingers press lightly under his chin and lift it up. To his surprise, she wasn't shaking in indignation but smiling at him gently.

"Don't do that. Don't bow your head down to them. You are Remus Lupin, werewolf, and you are what you have always been – clever and capable. Be proud of who you are, because you have reason to be. I know _I_ am proud of you. The way you take everything the world dishes out at you, but you still manage to stand tall and keep going inspires me to do the same, and the fact that you can endure a painful transformation each month and still come out of it able to smile and laugh never ceases to amaze me. So keep your chin up, because no matter how bigoted or stupid they are, they can never take that away from you."

Remus looked at her and felt the heart melt in his chest. His eyes were beginning to sting, but he closed them and cupped her cheek with his right hand, resting his forehead against hers. How in the universe had he managed to win the love of a girl like her?

"Let's go. The food is getting cold," Lisa said, and he took a step back.

Remus couldn't believe how mature she was being about all this. He half-expected her to send a nasty curse at his ex-employer, but she was handling it surprisingly well. Maybe the independent life outside of Hogwarts finally had some influence on her and she had grown up so gradually he hadn't even—

Suddenly, Lisa spun around, her wand whipping through the air. There was a deafening _crack!_ and the Apothecary caught on fire. Remus' mouth fell open, but before he could even scold her she grasped his hand firmly and Apparated them away.

* * *

oOo

"You didn't!" Lily giggled, and Lisa shushed her, though she had to stifle a laugh as well. The two of them were lying in wait outside Malfoy Manor under James' Invisibility Cloak, scoping out the place for the Order. The house was frequently used as a meeting place, and if they could listen in on any conversations, it could give them vital information. Neither James nor Remus were happy about such a dangerous assignment, but they both kept it only to frowns and a few accusing looks. Lisa and Lily had only exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes at their pouting.

"Of course I did! He tried to hex Remus!" Lisa replied.

"But you do realize that setting buildings on fire is against the law, right? You can go to Azkaban for this!"

"Oh, please." Lisa waved dismissively. "Like the Ministry will even bother investigating. They're up to their eyeballs in Death Eaters. As are we."

"—they're getting cocky, too!" a voice drifted down the alley. "One actually had the nerve to whip out his wand at me! Needless to say he wasn't even capable of coherent thought after we were done with him."

Lily and Lisa exchanged disgusted glances when they recognized the owner of the voice, which was Mulciber, walking towards them with the usual crew of Avery, Snape and Rosier, and the unfortunate edition of Regulus and Dorcas. Lisa groaned internally. So far, she had managed to avoid a direct confrontation with her ex-but-not-really best friend. Her face must've shown some of the dread she was feeling, because she felt Lily's fingers wrap around hers and give her a reassuring squeeze.

"It's almost boring at this point," Avery drawled. "You've been using that same spell for weeks. Mix it up a little!"

"I'm practicing," Mulciber said. Even in the dark, Lily and Lisa could tell he was grinning. "I want it to be perfect when I finally get my hands on Fawley."

Lily's eyes widened and she shot a look at her friend, who resolutely kept looking at the walking figures.

"Why her?" Dorcas asked, also sounding rather bored. "What makes her so special?"

"Oh, it's not something for a lady's ears," Mulciber replied, and Lisa couldn't help the wave of revulsion that washed over her. "Let's just say... she and I had an encounter, right before Graduation. And I still have something I need to repay her for..."

Avery sniggered. "He tried to have his way with her and she bit his ear off."

Lily's body petrified, the group of Death Eaters laughed, and Lisa wished she could sink into the ground.

"So that's why," said the quiet voice of Regulus Black. "She's the one that got away."

"Oh, trust me, she won't be able to repeat that feat a second time," Mulciber said. "I enjoy women of strong character. Makes it all the more satisfying when they break."

"You seem confident she will," Dorcas said bitingly. Lisa cringed. If this gave her friend away, she would never forgive herself.

"Why are you getting all offended? Last time you met, you sent her flying across a corridor," Avery threw in.

"I'm not getting offended," Dorcas countered immediately. "I'm getting _annoyed_. I hate insufferable arrogance a-la Black and Potter."

"Don't compare me to those blood traitors!" Mulciber growled.

"Then stop getting on my nerves! It's not a secret you do disgusting things to the prisoners, so keep that to yourself, or at least brag after you've done it!" Dorcas said crossly. "And will you start cleaning up after yourself already? I'm not your maid, and I'm sick and tired of going in after you and finding the cells covered in—"

The group entered Malfoy Manor and the two girls under the Invisibility Cloak were no longer privy to the conversation. Lisa could feel Lily's eyes on her for a good couple of minutes.

"Lisa—"

"Lily, we're on duty. We'll talk about this later."

The redhead was about to protest, but Lisa clutched her fingers tightly. Lily wasn't happy about it, but they were dangerously far into enemy territory. They couldn't get closer to the house without tripping the alarm charms, but their time was not wasted, as other Death Eaters began arriving shortly after, chatting about recent raids and the horrible deeds they'd committed.

After a few hours whatever meeting was going on inside ended, and Lisa and Lily waited until the very last of them left before Apparating under the cloak and materializing on the dirty London street in front of Lisa and Remus' new flat, which was just as run down as the last.

"See you tomorrow," Lisa said quickly, making for the building.

"Not so fast!" Lily followed, folding the cloak. "You have a few things to explain!"

"I don't have to explain anything!" Lisa snapped, not even bothering to look back, and just climbing the stairs quickly.

"Yes, you do!" her friend insisted, matching her step. "What was that about? Why haven't you said anything, we'd want to know if Mulciber was targeting you. When—"

Lisa made it to the door of the flat and whirled around, silencing the redhead. "Lily!" A long look, charged look followed. "You promised."

Lily stared silently at her friend, whose eyes were becoming wet with tears. Suddenly her green eyes widened with realization as a certain memory emerged to the forefront of her mind. "At the Victory party... when you were missing... that was _his_ blood all over you?" Lisa said nothing. "Does Remus know?"

For a moment, something between anger and determination flashed in the blonde's eyes, and her hands balled into fists. "You promised me, Lily. Remus can never know about this."

"But why? He would _want_ to know, and he should, what if—"

"If what? Knowing will only upset him and make him angry, possibly at the worst moment. I need him to keep a clear head when we're fighting, not looking over his shoulder to check on me! He knows to be weary of Mulciber, and already perceives him as a threat. Knowing the bastard has it out for me specifically will only serve to make him paranoid, which is the last thing he needs."

Lily looked back defiantly, but they both knew Lisa was speaking the truth.

"... It's your choice," Lily said. "But I think you're making a mistake. He deserves honesty."

"It's for his own good."

"Shouldn't he be the judge of that?"

The door suddenly swung open, and Remus stood in its frame.

"The judge of what?" he asked, his eyes moving from one to the other.

"How long have you been there?" Lisa asked, her voice tinged with panic.

"Long enough," he replied, fixing his stare on her. "What don't you want me to know?"

Lisa shot a desperate look at Lily, not knowing what to do.

The redhead gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tell him. It's best he learns it from you." And with one last, reassuring smile, she turned around and left.

Lisa stared after her for a moment,before walking past Remus and sitting on the couch with a big, heavy sigh. He joined her shortly and sat next to her. He didn't urge her to say anything, so she remained silent. After about a minute, he spoke.

"What aren't you telling me?"

Lisa writhed her hands nervously, completely determined not to give the secret away. She couldn't let him know. She couldn't let him see her in that light, couldn't let him know how weak, how defenseless she was. How dirty she'd felt after it. "Remus... do you remember a little before Graduation, how I... pulled away?" He was silent for a long moment, then nodded. "And how I asked you if I could just keep this one secret?"

"And you still won't tell me what happened?" he asked. She shook her head. "But Lily knows?"

"I didn't tell her! She just... found out. Accidentally."

He was quiet again. "She seems to think I would like to know," he said.

Lisa kept looking at her lap. "Well, that's not up to her. _Please_. Just this once."

"Why don't you want to tell me? What could be so bad you'd want to keep me ignorant of it? Haven't I shared my darkest secret with you?"

Despite the tears that were threatening to fall, Lisa managed a weak laugh. "Oh please. If that was up to you, you still wouldn't have told me. I found out on my own."

Remus' mouth curved into a small smile. "So if I find out on my own, then I'm allowed to know?"

"Well, I won't wipe it from your memory, if that's what you're asking," Lisa said, still smiling slightly. "But please. Don't look into it. Don't ask me questions. "

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Does this have anything to do with the person in the hood?"

"No," she answered quickly.

"And it's not something dangerous?"

"Not any more dangerous than being targeted by Death Eaters," she said lightly, and he chuckled. A small feeling of guilt moved in her stomach at this, but she ignored it. She wasn't lying.

"And you're sure—"

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure you don't need to know it and that it's not putting me in more danger than I'm already in," she finished for him. "Lily thinks you'd want to know, and yes, she's probably right, but it won't accomplish anything. You can't do a thing about it."

He stared at her seriously for a long moment. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," she replied firmly. "I can deal with this on my own, and I promise you, it'll only make you worry pointlessly." That last statement was probably a mistake.

Remus' eyebrows knitted. "So it's something that would worry me?"

Lisa wanted to kick herself. "You'd worry about everything. It's just not something you can help me with and you'll feel powerless."

Remus thought about it for a moment more, than grasped her hands in his. "Alright. I'll drop it if you can explain to me why you don't want me to know. Would I react badly?"

Lisa looked down at their hands. She could be honest about this. "It's not really because of that...well, maybe partly. I just..." She took a deep breath. "It's not a big deal, but it has to so with me, and I'm afraid... I'm afraid you would look at me differently if you knew."

His hand rose and caressed her face. "Nothing you can say can make me love you less."

"You're only saying that because you don't know what it is," she said, but tears were starting to burn in her throat.

"Is it something you did?" he asked softly.

"You said you'd drop it," she reminded him.

Remus sighed. "I will. You dropped it when I asked you to back away from my secrets. So I'll do the same for you."

"I'd forgotten about that," she said with a small chuckle. "It was over two years ago."

"But I haven't. You told me then that you would trust me, and you didn't press me to reveal why I had scars and why I didn't want to talk about it. I think you've proven since then that you're worthy of _my_ trust."

Lisa threw her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. He enveloped her in his embrace and stroke her head comfortingly.


	9. To Light a Candle

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **To Light a Candle**

Lisa dropped to her knees, breathing heavily.

"You okay?" Dorcas said, helping her to her feet. "Should we take a break?"

Lisa nodded weakly, and her friend helped her to the bed of the small hotel room.

Dorcas took a bottle of Appletiser and pointed her wand at the cap, popping it open. "Here," she said, giving it to Lisa, who was wiping the sweat from her brow.

"This Occlumency thing is harder than I thought it would be," the blonde girl said, taking a sip.

Dorcas plopped down next to her. "You're getting better. Your subconscious seems to lock up automatically whenever I try to prod your Lupin memories. If you can redirect that energy towards the Sword information, we'd be all set."

"Easier said than done," Lisa grumbled.

Dorcas shifted her gaze to her. "Hey, listen... Mulciber sort of said something last week..."

Lisa's heart dropped. "Yeah... I was there. Lily and I were on a mission at the Manor."

Dorcas' piercing blue eyes were burning a hole in her head, but she didn't look up.

"So... you're not denying it then? It really happened?" Lisa was quiet, which was all the confirmation Dorcas needed. "How far did he get?" the brunette asked, a clear threat laced in her voice.

"Before you overreact, her me out!" Lisa said, clutching at her friend's wrist. "It was months ago, and I'm... I'm over it."

"You don't sound over it," Dorcas growled.

"This isn't worth blowing your cover!" Lisa insisted. "Listen. He didn't get... _too_ far. Okay? I came out almost unscathed—"

"Almost!?"

"That doesn't matter now! It's in the past, what's done is done! You can't do anything to him; they'll find you out, and if they do, you can't spy on them and a lot of innocent people may die. Please, Cass. I'm not after revenge, and you shouldn't be either."

Dorcas looked at her silently for a few minutes. "Does Lupin know?"

"Of course not!" Lisa exclaimed, which only caused her friend to give her a glare. "I don't want him reacting the way that you are. I don't need to be protected, and I don't need to be avenged. It doesn't matter now—"

"Yes, it does!" Dorcas snapped. "Do you even have an idea of what he's planning on doing to you? You didn't just go down without a fight like the hundreds of muggle-borns he's tortured, and _he likes that_. He goes down into the cells, and he does unspeakable things to those poor women, and it's not just him. Evan says they're like children playing with their food. They keep me away from it, because it's 'not fit for the eyes of a lady', but I know what they do down there. The screams, they... carry." Dorcas looked down at her lap, and her hands shook.

Lisa reached over and held them in hers. "Oh, Cass..."

"I don't care about missions and consequences," Dorcas said, meeting her gaze determinately. "If he catches you, I'm blowing this. I won't let you end up like those women."

Lisa drew her friend into a hug. "It'll be alright," she said. "I won't let him catch me. I promise."

"You better not," Dorcas muttered in her shoulder. "Because if he does, I'm coming after you."

* * *

oOo

Remus and Lisa materialized on the outskirts of a sleepy muggle village. Everything looked peaceful. There were no cars or even voices of quarreling muggles, and the streets were empty.

Remus gripped his wand tightly, and the two of them cautiously walked down the brown road that was supposed to lead them to the house the Prewitt brothers were supposed to look into last night. They never reported back.

"Do you think they found something?" Lisa asked quietly.

"We won't know until we check it out," he replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

Lisa nodded, but there was a heavy ball in her stomach that she just shouldn't shake. Death Eaters seemed to be in the habit of doing things in packs. Almost every single time the members of the Order had encountered them, they were outnumbered three to one. It was a good thing most of the Order were above-average duelists, or there would have been a lot of casualties.

As the couple neared the tall, derelict manor, Remus tried a few detection charms.

"It seems empty," he said. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if they've placed some sort of protective jinx around it."

Wound up like springs, the two of them walked up the path and entered cautiously. The house looked completely normal on the inside – a spacious den with various furniture covered by white sheets, a tapestry-covered hallway depicting hunting scenes, a polished hardwood floor.

"What is it?" Lisa said, seeing the frown on Remus' face.

"No dust," he replied shortly.

Lisa's eyes darted around the room. The floor, the mantelpiece, even the picture frames were all clean, despite the supposedly abandoned status of the building. "Why bother to clean a house no one lives in?" she whispered.

Remus' sharp gaze continued to scan every inch of the place. "Footprints. Traces are easily left in dust."

Then his head suddenly perked up, and he grabbed her wrist, pulling her behind the couch. After waiting with bated breath for a few minutes, Lisa heard muffled voices from somewhere down below, and footsteps ascending a staircase close by. Then a door in the hallway opened.

"I need to get to the office," a strange male voice said. "I think we've gotten all we're going to out of the prisoners... Get rid of them."

Lisa and Remus exchanged worried glances. Then, without even the slightest warning, the couch launched into the air, spinning around its axis. A hail of curses followed it, and Lisa had to conjure her silver shield to protect them. After a few thumps against it, however, even it fell apart, and the two Order members shot up, trying to fight back their attackers. With every deflected spell and uttered counter-curse, Remus and Lisa were forced to retreat further and further back, until their knees hit the edge of a coffee table. The onslaught of hexes finally ceased, and they were able to take a look at their attackers. Three men neither of them had ever met, Rabastan Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, Travers and... Mulciber.

"Ah, Fawley. I've been hoping to run into you," Mulciber said, a sick smirk twisting his features. "And you've brought your beast, I see. Unfortunately, three is company for what I have planned for you. _Avada Kedavra!_ "

Lisa reacted by instinct, and the green beam of light collided with the silver shield, creating a loud, gong-like sound and causing it shatter like broken glass.

"Don't you dare," she said icily, glaring hatefully at Mulciber.

His grin only grew. "Oh, you'd rather he watched? I have to admit, I've never had an audience before, but it actually sounds kind of exciting."

Remus took a defensive step in front of Lisa, prompting the Death Eaters to snicker.

"Ah, the werewolf thinks he can take us all on, does he?" Malfoy drawled.

"I will certainly try," Remus replied pleasantly, but there was that edge in his eyes again. Like the dark clouds that foretell of a coming storm.

"Don't you ever learn, Lupin?" Mulciber stepped forward. "You're an _abomination_. I tried to get it into your animal skull before – you are not worthy to lick the dirt from a pureblood's shoes. Save yourself the humiliation and turn yourself in. If Fawley gets off on it, I'll let you watch when—" The nearest armchair transformed into a lion and roared against the Death Eaters. Caught off guard, most of them dropped their wands, filling the empty house with their panicked shrieks. Remus wrapped his fingers around Lisa's hand tightly and pulled her aside and into a run, past the scrambling Death Eaters and into the hallway.

"You idiots!" Malfoy shouted. "Forget the animal and _get them_!"

The couple kept running along the long, straight wall, when a spell hit it right in the space between their shoulders and the resulting explosion forced them apart. The following barrage of spells made them drift further away from one another, as someone with a brain had finally transfigured the lion back into a chair, and the seven Death Eaters came down on them, hard. It was all a blur of shouted curses and moving figures, and Lisa operated more by reflex than any strategic thought. A green beam of light whizzed in Remus' direction, just as the wall next to him was hit with a blasting curse. Lisa's heart skipped a beat.

" _Fumos!_ " she yelled and a thick curtain of white smoke erupted from the tip of her wand.

The Death Eaters began coughing and trying to cast Finite, while she dashed in the direction of her fallen boyfriend.

"Please, please, please," Lisa kept whispering, climbing over a small mountain of rubble. It couldn't have hit. It just couldn't have. Remus couldn't be dead, she wouldn't allow it!

Soon the young witch spotted his feet poking out from under a broken part of the wooden door and felt as if someone had hit her straight in the chest, knocking the wind out of her. She dropped to her knees and reached for him, but at that moment he sat up on his own, coughing into his hand. Lisa threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

"Thank Merlin," she said. "I thought the killing curse got you."

Just as he opened his mouth to answer, his hold on her tightened and he pulled them back to the ground, rolling over. A curse flew right above them and collided with the window, which exploded. Shards of glass rained on top of Remus' head as he bent down to protect her from the debris. Then he pulled back slightly. "We need to—" he started, but Lisa saw another spell fly through the mist, about to hit the pile of rubble next to them. She grabbed on and rolled them over again, this time ending up on top, and cast a quick shield charm. The bits of brick and plaster disintegrated before it reached them.

"— get to the basement level," she finished for him. With one last look around, the young witch lifted her wand and pointed it at the ground. "Hold on to me. This will get rough." Remus' eyes widened for a second with the realization of what she was about to do, but he gave her a sight nod and tightened his arms around her. The blasting curse shook the entire building.

Her cushioning charm broke the fall somewhat, but Remus still grunted as the two of them collided with the floor. Lisa scrambled off of him, and after a quick look above, held out a hand and helped him to his feet.

" _Lumos_ ," she said quietly, and the tip of her wand lit up.

The dark room illuminated to show about two dozen people, held up by heavy shackles hanging from the walls.

"Remus! Lisa!" a familiar voice called, and the couple immediately saw Fabian and Gideon Prewitt, chained up at the end of the room.

Remus and Lisa rushed over. The brothers looked roughed up and dirty; Fabian even sported a rather nasty bruise over his left eye.

"The trunk," Gideon said, inclining his head towards the dark shape near the door. "They keep the wands inside."

Lisa pointed her wand at it. " _Accio wands!_ " The heavy oaken trunk began rattling and shaking.

" _Alohomora!_ " Remus said towards it with a wave of his wand, and the metal lock her eyes had failed to spot fell to the ground. The wands made her way into Lisa's hand, while Remus released the captives from their restraints.

Gideon rubbed his wrists. "Took you long enough."

"I didn't think Gideon Prewitt, the Greatest Hit Wizard Who Ever Lived needed saving," Lisa teased, handing him his wand.

"It's those Death Eaters that are gonna need saving in a minute," Fabian growled.

Just then, they heard footsteps above and everyone turned their heads up.

" _Crucio!_ " someone yelled from above, and the spell flew down, but it was easily blocked by one of Lisa's shields. The next second, however, the angry ex-prisoners rained a hail of curses up at the hole, making a sort of colorful firework of destruction. There was some commotion upstairs, then everything went quiet.

"This way!" Gideon cried, blasting the door of the basement off its hinges.

The group ran through a narrow corridor, illuminated by twenty of their wands, but met with no resistance. When they made it to the ground floor, they found the place in shambles, but deserted.

Fabian made a wide motion with his wand and Lisa felt the low swoosh of a person-detecting charm. "They must've turned tail and ran," he concluded.

"I don't blame them," Remus said with a small smirk. "I know I wouldn't want to face this angry mob." Gideon laughed, clapping the werewolf on the back.

The crowd left one by one, anxious to get back to their families, and soon the four Order Members were the only ones in the half-destroyed den.

Lisa stepped closer to inspect Fabian's bruise. "What happened?" she asked, looking him over for further injuries.

He huffed. "What do you think? They caught us sneaking around and decided to hex first, ask questions later."

"We told them we were real-estate agents," Gideon added. "I don't think they believed us."

Remus' brows knitted it a frown. "Didn't they recognize you?"

"Funny thing about that," Gideon said while Lisa pulled out her wand to check out why he was holding ribs. He hissed in pain. "They didn't know we were with the Order. They suspected we were working with Dumbledore, but they couldn't tell for sure."

"How is that even possible?" she mumbled, lifting his shirt to get a better view and gently pressing on the place to see where exactly the injury was. It felt like a fracture. "And why are you so much worse off?"

"Because he can't keep his mouth shut." Fabian frowned at his brother. "Did you have to taunt them like that?"

Gideon simply grinned. "Oh come on, I knew someone was bound to come for us. I guess I was hoping for a hero to burst through the door and make kebabs out of the lot."

Lisa snickered and stood up. "Well, so sorry to disappoint. Let's get you to HQ, Lily will patch you up."

* * *

oOo

Half an hour later, most of the Order had gathered in Mad-Eye's den. Lily was working on Gideon's various injuries, while Fabian observed them, the yellow Bruise-Removal Paste already drying over his eye.

Footsteps sounded from the hall, and Moody walked in, followed closely by McGonagall, Flitwick and Dumbledore.

"What happened?" the Headmaster asked calmly, sitting opposite Gideon.

"We got caught," the elder Prewitt replied dryly. "They locked us up in the basement, tortured us for information, the usual."

Lily poked him lightly, making him grunt. "Don't treat this so lightly! Getting captured is not a joke!"

Gideon rolled his eyes, but Fabian agreed with the redhead. "This war isn't a game, Gideon!"

"Will you two relax?" Gideon said irritably. "I know it's serious. But I also knew the Order would figure out we were missing and send someone after us!"

"And what if they had been captured as well?" Frank snapped. "Or killed?"

"That is enough!" McGonagall said strictly. She gave them a piercing look over her square-rimmed glasses, and suddenly the younger members felt like they were sent to the Head of their House again. "You are all acting like children. Actions have consequences, and if Gideon's face is willing to pay the checks his mouth writes, then he's welcome to do so. Though he should know that rescue is not always a given and should not expect others to save his skin." Gideon looked down at his lap.

"What I don't get," James said, breaking the silence, "is why they bothered with capturing you. Why didn't they kill you on the spot?"

"They said the Death Eaters didn't recognize them," Lisa said, frowning. "Though that _is_ strange. They recognize _us_ instantly."

"It seems like the Death Eaters don't really know who's in the Order and who is only helping," Fabian said. "They basically have no names."

"What? How are they always go after us, then?" Lisa asked. Fabian and Gideon exchanged glances.

"They did ask us about you," Fabian said carefully. "And about the Sword of Gryffindor."

Lisa's whole body stiffened. "It's a good thing you knew nothing about it then."

"You still have it?" Frank chimed in. "What did you do with it?"

Lisa knew telling them could potentially put them in danger, but before she could think of a proper explanation, she was saved by none other than Albus Dumbledore.

"Lisa has hidden the Sword on my orders. Voldemort and his Death Eaters will not get their hands on it."

The young witch's eyes snapped to meet the twinkling blue ones of the Hogwarts Headmaster. He gave her a smile, and she realized that _he knew_. Somehow. She hadn't told anyone where she'd hidden the Sword, not even Remus. But then again, Dumbledore was the brightest wizard of their age...

"Wait a minute," Alice chimed in. "If they asked about the Sword, that means they knew you were in the Order with Lisa! Why else would they have reason to think you might know anything about it?"

"They were betting I would know, since we were in the Defenders together," Fabian explained. "When they got their hands on the schedule two years ago, they learned all our names."

"How can you be sure that's the case?" Remus asked.

"Because they only asked _me_ questions about it," Fabian replied. "Gideon kept egging them on, that's why he ended up like this. If he'd been quiet, they probably wouldn't have touched him. We..." The brothers exchanged another glance. "Actually, we don't think they know for sure if any of us are in the Order," the younger of the two continued. "Not everyone in the Defenders went on to join after Graduation, and they know this. As far as they know, we could just be bumping into them on accident. They may put two and two together if they know who we are and fight us a few times, but there are so many of them, it rarely happens."

A silence settled over the room after those words. No one really wanted to think about that, but it was a fact. They were extremely outnumbered, blindly stumbling their way through battles, barely making it out with their lives. How were they going to accomplish anything against odds such as these?

"They outnumber us fifty to one..." Marlene said quietly.

Everyone in the room was looking at the floor.

"So what?" a voice rang out in the silence. Lisa looked up to see that James had stood up, his hazel eyes burning behind the glasses. "So what if there are more of them? So what if they're better organized or more prepared, so what if they know dark, powerful magic? Why are we fighting? To best them in a duel? We are here to save lives, and every single person we can help is a huge victory! What's the alternative, huh? To bow down and kneel before him?"

Lisa smiled and stood up as well, placing a hand on James' shoulder. "I'm with James," she said. "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." He gave her a grateful smile.

"Or, we could just set the Death Eaters themselves on fire, that's sure to illuminate a few street corners," Sirius suggested playfully, standing on James' other side. "If I'm going down, I'm taking some of them with me!"

Remus chuckled lightly and stood up as well, slipping his hand in Lisa's. Lily rose to her feet too, and so did the Prewett brothers. Then Peter, Frank, Alice, Sturgis, Caradoc, Marlene and Edgar. Flitwick stood up too, though you could hardly tell, and McGonagall's tall figure loomed over him. Moody had never sat down in the first place, but a crooked grin stretched over his scarred face.

Dumbledore looked at each member with a piecing gaze, and then slowly stood on his feet.

"I must return to Hogwarts," he said. "It's unwise to leave the school unprotected for long periods of time. However, I shall do so with a light heart, knowing I leave the people of London in safe hands. You cannot imagine... how _proud_ I am that you have given me the honor of fighting alongside you."

For a moment, Lisa thought she saw the white-haired wizard's eyes glisten in the light before he and the teachers left HQ and headed back to Hogwarts.


	10. The War Issue

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **The War Issue**

It was snowing.

Remus and Lisa stood next to the bus stop under a yellow umbrella, which was covered in a thick layer of white, and watched the Theater building across the street. One of Dumbledore's informants had told him the Death Eaters might target it. It was still unclear why.

"Maybe Voldemort just hates ballet?" Lisa mused, her eyes lingering on the Swan Lake poster advertising the show taking place inside.

"Or maybe he's sour he didn't get the lead?" Remus quipped and the two of them tried to contain a laugh.

She squeezed his hand lightly. "We really should be paying attention, instead of making jokes. Now I can't get the image of Voldemort with a tutu out of my mind," Lisa said, but her tone was just as light as his.

"It looks more natural this way. If we just stood here and observed quietly, people might get suspicious. I mentioned this to James a week ago, and he said that we'll be as sullen as Mad-Eye if we never try to make light of the situation. It's for our own sake of mind, really. Lisa?"

He stopped talking, noticing that her whole body tensed next to him. Following her gaze, Remus saw she was looking straight at someone across the street. A tall, slim someone, in a black hood.

"Is that him?" Remus asked. She nodded. The werewolf studied the figure carefully. He was clad from head to toe in completely ordinary black robes, but they were spotless and though simple, gave the impression of high class. The man was tall and lean, though not as tall as him. The bottom half of his face was showing, and Remus noted he was clean-shaven, and the pointed chin indicated a young age.

After a fairly intense couple of minutes, during which they just stared at each other, the hooded figure turned to leave. Remus made to follow, but Lisa's hand pulled him back.

"What are you doing?" she said.

"Following him. He's clearly stalking you."

"Nothing about that is clear. He could be stalking _you_."

"Why would someone be stalking me?"

"Why would someone be stalking _me_?"

"Let's ask him."

"Remus, we're on duty! We can't just leave and go chasing after someone!"

He looked at her in surprise. Usually she'd be the first to run off after some mysterious figure.

"Don't you want to know who it is? To make him stop?" he pressed.

"Оf course I do. But we can't leave, if Death Eaters do attack, we have to be here to alert the Order."

"Both of us are not needed for that," he said and tried to let go of her hand to walk forward, but her fingers clenched his like a vice.

"We are _not_ splitting up. What if he leads you into a trap?"

"At least I'd know what I'm jumping into," he said with a smirk, quoting her own words from a few months ago.

Lisa was not impressed. "Ha, ha, very funny. We're both staying right here. What's the point in chasing a person who stalks you anyway? He'll come back, we'll get him then."

Remus studied her face for a long couple of seconds. Then he relaxed his posture and draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her close. "You actually didn't jump straight into danger for once. I never thought I'd see the day," he quipped, planting a light kiss on her temple.

"Remember how you told me once that I remind you what's important? Right now, this is more important," she said, her free hand coiling around his waist, while the other kept the umbrella steady. "Besides... last time I jumped into danger, it didn't end very well."

Remus felt a cold chill run down his spine, remembering how he stood outside the Hospital Wing, terrified to find out her fate. His embrace tightened slightly. That memory would definitely rank up there in the top five most horrible things he had to live through, and that was a hard feat to reach. He never wanted to go through something like this again. And knowing for certain that the Death Eaters were looking for her, willing to torture to find out her location... he didn't even want to think what they would do to her if they managed to find her. But he knew... he knew if he asked her to quit the Order she would just roll her eyes and laugh. He'd spoken to the Marauders about it, and they all agreed with him that the chances of Lisa backing out of the war were slim to none.

Still, he wished there was some way to convince her...

* * *

oOo

Remus was starting to get worried. Lisa went to Lily's to return some clothes she had borrowed, but it had been two hours since she left, and she still wasn't back. The young werewolf drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. The food in front of him, already served in two plates, was getting cold. Why was it taking so long? Did she just start chatting with Lily and lose track of time, or did something happen? Was it the man in the hood? Death Eaters? Some other Dark Creature?

Remus stood up sharply. Maybe he was being paranoid, but it's better to be safe than sorry. He threw on his coat and left the flat, barely waiting to be outside and Disapparate.

When he arrived at Godric's Hollow and headed for the Potter Cottage, it occurred to him he might be overreacting and that she might be at their flat right now. Remus knew Lisa was capable of taking care of herself, and maybe he _was_ a little too worried lately, but he just couldn't help it. And honestly, it was a little hypocritical of her to laugh at him for it, when in seventh year she wouldn't let him out of her sight after he and Lily got ambushed by Mulciber and the Slytherins.

He raised his fist and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, footsteps echoed from inside and Lily swung it open.

"Is Lisa here?" he asked.

Lily chuckled and put a finger to her lips, then caught his hand and gently pulled him inside. He followed her to the den, where he found Lisa and James sitting on the floor in front of the television set, gaping like zombies and watching a re-run of _Gilligan's Island_.

"Lisa just discovered sitcoms," Lily whispered into his ear. At that moment, the Skipper said something funny from the screen and hit Gilligan with his hat. James and Lisa roared with laughter.

"These muggles are more ingenious than I thought!" James said. "This 'Nitroglycerin' thing sounds amazingly useful! All we need are some papaya seeds, some cave rocks and pebbles from a lagoon! Those aren't hard to find, and wouldn't it be awesome if we could lure Death Eaters into a trap and take them out without risking our lives?"

"That's a brilliant idea!" Lisa added enthusiastically. "And we can make a lie detector too, for when we run out of Veritaserum. Just think of how much easier it would be to just build one of those things instead of brewing a complicated potion all the time! What did the Professor say it took?"

"Radio batteries, a horn, some bamboo... we can totally do this!"

That was when Remus lost it and laughed loudly, joined by a snickering Lily.

"Remus!" Lisa exclaimed happily and shot to her feet, running over. "Come, look at this! These muggles are showing on the television how to make all sorts of things!" she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him further into the den.

"Lisa, it's just a show. It's not real," he tried to explain.

"I know that," she pouted. "But listen, it's about these muggles stranded on an island, and they build all sorts of muggle technology to help them out!"

Lily giggled behind Remus. "It's all made up. Muggles can't really make all that from coconuts and bamboo."

"But, Lily, they made one of those 'cars' they ride up and down the street!" James protested.

"They're just actors, none of the things they make are real," Lily said and snickered again.

"No, they make things I've seen real muggles use!" he argued.

"James, you can't really make a lie detector from bamboo," Remus said calmly. "It's exaggerated. For comedy."

Lisa's face fell. "So... we can't really make all that stuff?"

"You can... but it'll be a lot more complicated," the werewolf said.

"Remus, they can't build a lie detector," Lily interjected.

"How would you know? We've never tried before," James protested indignantly.

Lily rolled her eyes. "It's just a show, James. Real muggles study science for years before they're able to build things like that."

"Can't we get a muggle and ask them how these things work?" Lisa asked.

"Maybe some other time," Remus said with a smile and pulled her to the door. "Come on, dinner's getting cold."

"But... there are still four more episodes..." Lisa whined, looking at him imploringly.

"There's a marathon on right now," Lily explained.

"Can we stay and finish it?" Lisa asked hopefully.

Remus tried to suppress a laugh. "What about dinner?"

"You can stay here?" James proposed. "I'll call Wormy and Padfoot too, we can all eat together!"

"We wouldn't want to impose..." Remus started hesitantly.

"Don't be silly," Lily said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know you're never imposing in this house. I was just about to take the roast out of the oven anyway. We'd love to have you for a meal."

Remus turned his eyes back to the hopeful face of his girlfriend and sighed in defeat. "Alright. Do you need help with setting up the table?" he turned to Lily.

Lisa squealed with delight and gave him a quick hug, before she and James took their previous seats in front of the television. Lily shook her head and laughed, then led Remus into the kitchen and started taking out plates from the cupboards, piling them in his hands.

"Purebloods are like children sometimes, aren't they?" she said as he was setting them on the table.

"They've just never had to interact with everyday things like we have," he replied, taking the cutlery she handed him and arranging it in front of the chairs.

"But look at how wide-eyed they are! Did you know that after we watched _Star Wars_ James asked me to take him to the place they sell lightsabers?"

Remus laughed and watched Lily set down the glasses. "I bet you'd be just as wide-eyed about mundane wizarding things. Like having house-elves serve you. Or having enchanted Christmas decorations. You should've seen the look on Lisa's face when she saw the completely plain and ordinary ornaments my mother made out of paper and pine cones. The fact that they weren't moving was apparently fascinating."

Lily laughed too and took a few bottles of pumpkin juice out of the fridge, emptying their contents in a large glass pitcher. "House-elves are the reason for half of my arguments with James! He's so used to being waited on hand and foot he expects me to do everything around the house!"

"At least he doesn't just leave his clothes on the floor and expect them to wash themselves and end up in the dresser," Remus mumbled and the redhead erupted in a hearty laughter.

"She really does that?"

"Not anymore. But the first month was a nightmare."

"I know what you mean," Lily said, putting on kitchen gloves and taking a chicken roast out of the oven. "Two should be fine, right? Or should I make three?"

"I'd say three, just in case. You know how much Sirius can eat," Remus replied, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards.

"Three it is then," the host said and waved her wand, duplicating the meal twice. Someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it!" James' voice came from the den, and after a minute they heard Sirius' laugh join his and Lisa's, along with the show's laugh track.

"Sirius will probably like that show. He's always been interested in muggle technology," Remus noted, craning his neck to see into the other room.

"What are we gonna do with them?" Lily said affectionately and looked through the open door at the three of them, gathered around the television. Just then, there was more knocking on the door. Lily sighed and went to get it.

"Come on, you lot, supper is served," she said when she came back, Peter trailing after her.

"But there are three more episodes to go!" James protested.

His fiancée rolled her eyes. "I'll rent it for you from the video store. Now come eat."

James gaped after her, then slapped a hand to his forehead. "Of course! The video store!"

"You're so out of touch with muggle technology, Prongs," Sirius said, walking into the kitchen. "I can excuse Fawley, but you and I took Muggle Studies together! How can you believe muggles can make a weather-predicting machine _out of bamboo_?"

"Hey! They showed it on screen, how was I supposed to know the television would lie to me? And how come _she_ gets a pass?" James grumbled, sitting down in the chair next to Lily's, who was already serving.

"Because you live with a muggle-born. You should know a lot of things about muggles by now," Lisa said.

"Wha—! You live with a half-blood! Why should you be excused?" James demanded indignantly.

"I'll have you know that I already know how laundry works," she replied with a thick air of self-satisfaction. "So I _have_ picked up a few muggle things."

James' head turned to Lily. "Lily, teach me how laundry works." The whole table sniggered and the redhead frowned, sitting down next to him.

"Oh, so _now_ you want to learn how your socks just appear pine fresh in your drawer. Last week you said you couldn't be bothered with something this insignificant." Then she leaned over to Remus and said quietly, "You got Lisa to do the laundry?"

Sirius heard that and guffawed. "He always did know how to work her."

Both Lisa and Remus threw him indignant looks.

"Excuse me, Remus does not 'work' me," the blonde protested. "We share the household chores because he's my boyfriend, not my house-elf, and I don't _want_ him to do all the work. He's never asked anything of me that I wasn't already willing to give."

"Yeah right," Peter snorted. "How about the war issue?"

The whole table went quiet.

Peter looked up from his plate. "What?"

Lily, James and Sirius exchanged glances, while Remus and Lisa were both looking at their plates.

"I just meant to say," Peter started anxiously, "that it's something you can't agree on. Moony wants you to stay out of the war, but he's never said anything because he thinks you wouldn't budge. So that's one thing you aren't willing to give... right?"

"I need some air," Lisa said, getting up. Remus kept staring at his plate.

"It's snowing outside," Lily tried to say.

"I'll just be a minute," Lisa replied, already halfway across the den. When the door slammed, four pairs of eyes turned to Remus.

"You alright there, mate?" James asked softly.

"I'm so sorry," Peter threw in. "I wasn't thinking... it just slipped."

Remus sighed heavily. "It's alright, Wormtail."

"Haven't you two... haven't you talked about it?" Sirius said.

"What would be the point?" Remus said, getting up. "You know she wouldn't just stay at home, nothing I can say will convince her of the opposite."

He went over to the coat rack and retrieved his coat, walking out into the chilly garden. The snow was falling at a steady pace and the ground was already covered in white. Lisa was standing in the middle of it, looking up towards the sky, the top of her head gleaming from the snowflakes. He walked up to her and just stood beside her in silence.

"It's pretty," she said. "The snow. I love watching it fall."

"It is," he agreed. "It covers all the ugliness of the world and makes it all seem beautiful. Even a pile of rubbish can look pure under a bit of snow."

She chuckled. "What a weird analogy. Figures you'd associate snow with covering secrets."

"I didn't say anything about secrets."

They were quiet for a moment.

"Why didn't you tell me you felt this way?" she said.

"Did I need to?"

"... No."

He turned to look at her, and saw her brown eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Lisa..."

"Do I need to tell you how _I_ feel?" she asked, whirling around to face him. "Do I need to tell you that I think you have enough on your plate without all these dangers? Do I need to tell you you're fighting in enough battles already? That you have plenty to worry about without looking over your shoulder for Death Eaters all the time, that maybe your life is hard enough without you having to risk it every day?"

Remus just looked back at her silently.

"... No."

Seeing she was about to cry, he slowly drew her into a tight hug.

"As if I don't worry about you when you're just going about your day, I have to also fear Death Eaters and Order missions and all the other things the war puts you through!" she said into his shoulder. "I wish I could tell you to drop the whole thing and just leave the fighting to me, but I know you'll never do it. And it's so frustrating, and good at the same time, because the reason you fight is also the reason I love you, but I'm so worried, _all the time_! I don't even know what I'm afraid of most, am I worried a werewolf pack got you, or the Death Eaters, or some werewolf hunter, or an angry mob, or my own family, who should I think about first!? You have so many and varying enemies, and every time you're even a little late it's like my whole body is on fire, itching to go after you. I've been trying to deal with this on my own, but it's _so hard_ sometimes, because I... I can't stand the thought of losing you. I know you said we'll just have to trust each other, and I'm _trying_ , Remus. I truly am. It's just... hard."

"I know," he said, his throat tight with emotion. "It's hard for me as well, especially considering your track record of getting yourself in danger. You know as well as I why neither of us has said anything – we both know the answer we're going to get. I feel the same way you do, and I'm trying too, to varying degrees of success. I don't even know how I managed to wait two whole hours before coming to look for you today."

Her body shook in his arms as she chuckled. "I'm sorry about that. I'll let you know the next time I'm going to be late, I promise. I just lost track of time, that show is a riot. I was just about to head back when a camera landed on the island, and because the castaways were covered in glue and feathers, the muggles mistook them for chicken people on Mars."

They both laughed lightly, and Lisa's tears finally overflew. She sniffled and wiped them, backing away a little. Then she saw the white snow that had piled on his head and giggled.

"It's like you have a big, fluffy hat," she said, dusting it off. He just looked at her, smiling, something warm and gentle reflected in his eyes. The snow continued to fall around him and the light of the cottage lit the scene in such an unnatural way, for a moment she had the ridiculous thought that he looked like an angel.

"I love you," he said and slowly leaned in to kiss her. It took her breath away.

* * *

oOo

"I can't believe this," Sirius muttered inside the house as all four of them were gathered around the window, though there was a clear smirk on his face. "He really does have her wrapped around his finger."

"Why don't all our arguments end this way?" James whined, and Lily hit him over the head lightly.

"Because Remus isn't a git."

Peter and Sirius sniggered.

"She's got you there, Prongs," Sirius said, earning a punch in the shoulder.


	11. Sparkly Sirius

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **Sparkly Sirius**

When Lisa got home one evening, there was a note waiting for her on the battered table, written in Remus' neat handwriting.

 _The Marauders stopped by. We're going out for beers because they're worried I'm becoming a humorless brick again. I'll be back before dark._

Below it was one of James' messy scribbles: **Don't count on it ;)**

Then in Sirius' hand: **_We're kidnapping him._**

And then Peter's: _We'll send a patronus if we stay out past morning._

Lisa laughed and shook her head, and just then, there was a knock on the door. She prepared her wand just in case and looked through the peephole.

"Marlene?" she said in surprise, swinging it open.

The other girl smirked. "The one and only!" Then she craned her neck to see into the flat. "So this is where you live?"

Lisa felt the warm sensation of embarrassment creep in her stomach but extinguished it angrily. She chose this, and she would _not_ be ashamed of it!

"Would you like to come in?" she said, opening the door wide.

"Er... no, that's okay," Marlene said, barely hiding the distaste in her voice. "I came to drag you out, actually!"

"What?"

"Well, if the boys can have a night's out, then it's Girl's Night for us!" Marlene squealed, catching her hand. "Come on, Lily and Alice will wait for us at Rosa Lee's Teashop."

"Isn't it sort of late for tea?" Lisa pulled back slightly.

Marlene rolled her eyes and laughed. "We're not going for the _tea_ ; we're going for the gossip!"

Lisa couldn't help but chuckle at that. Was there anything Marlene did in her free time that didn't involve gossip? "Alight, just hold on a second, I need to leave Remus a note."

She wrenched away from her friend and went over to the table, scribbling on his own note that she was being kidnapped as well. Then she grabbed her purse and walked out with Marlene, locking the door behind them.

* * *

oOo

The teashop was surprisingly full, considering it was about 7 pm. The two young women made their way to their friends, who were already sitting on a table in the corner, sipping their tea.

"Hey," Lily greeted them with a wide smile. "You made it! About time, they're going to bring us the glazed scones we ordered any minute now."

"You have to try them, Lisa, they're _amazing_ ," Alice chirped happily.

Lisa gave her a smile and sat down, but it did occur to her that she couldn't afford any of these fancy scones.

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry," she lied.

"Oh, nonsense!" Marlene waved dismissively. "You haven't had dinner yet!"

"I have, actually," Lisa said evenly. Well, she had. If a bag of crisps and a bottle of Appletiser counted as a meal.

If she had to be honest, all that Occlumency business with Dorcas made her hungry like a wolf, and just the smell in this place was enough to make her mouth water. But if Remus was out for drinks, he'd spend money. He had no way of knowing she'd be out too, so it fell on her to keep that in mind and not be too wasteful.

She still remembered their first month together on their own. Being used to not paying any mind to money at all, she had spent the entirety of their savings in just two days. Remus didn't say anything, of course, and for weeks he insisted she ate the bigger portion of their measly meals, leaving him starving more than once. He had tried to hide it, but the rumbling of his stomach, especially at night, was like a knife in her heart. It was then she decided she would never let anything like that happen again. She would starve if she had to, but she wouldn't put him through that a second time.

"But Alice is right, Lisa, they are out of this world!" Lily insisted. "They're using some sort of special chocolate cream imported from France!"

Just then, a pretty blonde witch came to their table, a quill and parchment in her hand. "What would you like, ladies?"

"Oh, a Jasmine Twinings tea for me please, and some of those French scones," Marlene said to her.

"Nothing for me, thank you," Lisa said. The witch gave her a weird look for only a second, before quickly replacing it by a wide smile. She said she would be right back with the orders and scurried away, leaving the girls at the table to stare at Lisa instead. "What? I came here for the gossip, not the tea," she said cheekily, and Marlene snorted. The tension dissipated, and the four of them began talking about more pleasant things.

"How's Frank? I barely get to see him outside Order meetings lately," Lisa asked when the serving witch came back and placed a tray in front of Alice.

"Oh, he's been awfully busy lately. The Office keeps us both quite occupied," Alice said, sipping her tea. Then she added gently, "We did get a visit from his mother last week. She asked after you."

Lisa stared down at her lap. "What did you tell her?"

"Frank said, rather crossly, that you were doing fine. That you were... happy. And that if Augusta really wanted to know how you were, she could always owl you."

Lisa couldn't help the smile that spilled on her face and looked up to meet Alice's gaze. "He really said that?"

"It's obvious you _are_ happy," Lily added from the side, also smiling softly. Lisa felt her face grow hotter.

"Who wouldn't be, if all their rows ended up in kissing," Marlene said, and the girls giggled. "Sirius is still convinced Remus has you under some sort of spell. He could tell you to jump in lava and you'd do it!"

"Because I'd know he has some sort of plan to pull me back just before I get hurt," Lisa said with a grin. "Maybe Sirius should give Adrian Fleet a call. They can swap theories about how Remus brainwashed me."

"That Chaser you dated for like, a minute?" Marlene asked.

Lisa nodded. "He was convinced Remus 'abused' me. He saw me crying more than once in the common room after a row and it built a picture in his mind, I guess. The first few months weren't exactly smooth sailing."

Lily laughed. "That bloke must've been mental. Remus couldn't abuse a billywig. And as for your earlier arguments, everyone knew it was because he felt like he was 'beneath' you. He was trying to break up with you for your own good."

"I didn't know that!" Marlene interjected. "He tried to break up with you?"

Lisa snickered. "About twice a week at first. He mellowed down eventually."

"And why didn't I know?" Marlene insisted.

Lisa raised an eyebrow. "Because I don't announce the details of my personal life? What happens between me and Remus is private."

"So how come Lily knows?" Marlene pouted.

Lisa sniggered. "Because Lily is dating James, and he can't keep his mouth shut. I doubt Remus outright offered that information, the Marauders just always have a way of knowing things that are none of their business."

"But what _I_ 'd like to know," the redhead cut in, "is how Marlene knew the boys would be out tonight."

All eyes turned to the blonde in question, which only smirked. "Well, because my boyfriend is one of them."

The girls exchanged glances.

"You have someone new?" Alice asked uncertainly. "That's the first we're hearing of it."

Marlene twirled a lock of her short, curly hair between her fingers. "Well, we're not _official_ or anything. But we've been out a couple of times and..."

"You and Peter got back together!?" Lisa exclaimed hopefully.

"Guess again." Marlene smiled knowingly.

"... Is James cheating?" Lisa quipped, getting a light slap to the arm from the indignant Lily.

"Sirius?" Alice gasped. Marlene nodded. Lisa and Lily exchanged glances.

"He... hasn't said anything," Lily said.

"Like I said, it's not official," Marlene repeated, but the smirk wasn't leaving her lips. "Things got a bit heated after the last mission. We were partnered up for the Avery tail, if you remember. Rosier sensed us and there was a duel. We got away, barely. This," she pulled down the collar of her shirt to reveal a deep cut on her shoulder, "was a gift from Meadowes. Almost took my arm off."

Lisa froze. Sirius encountered Dorcas? Why hadn't either of them said anything? "When was that?"

Marlene shrugged indifferently. "About a week ago. He took me to his place afterwards and things sort of... went from there." She beamed at the others and Alice congratulated her, asking her questions about the relationship.

Lily and Lisa, however, shared a look. It wouldn't be unlike Sirius to do something rash right after he saw Dorcas again. He wouldn't talk about it, but it was obvious there was still something there. They didn't think he would outright _use_ Marlene to make himself feel better, but doubted he took it as seriously as she was.

* * *

oOo

The girls stayed out rather late, just gossiping and indulging in other estrogen-filled activities, like talking about hot celebrities, discussing recent marriages and how Alice's cousin Molly was fairing with six kids.

Walking under the dim light of the street lamps, Lisa thought to herself that it had been a nice change of pace. She wasn't exactly girly, but it had been a while since she could talk about men and just enjoy the company of her old dorm mates. It was almost like they were students again, going on a Hogsmeade trip together. She had sort of missed that feeling of sisterhood.

Lisa stopped right under the lamp across the street from her flat. It was under a lamp just like this one that she had seen the hooded man for the first time. She wondered to herself why he hadn't shown himself recently. Perhaps he couldn't find her again after the move, or he thought the last time he interfered was going too far? The blonde witch sighed. Why was she even thinking about it? Wasn't it a good thing someone that had been stalking her hadn't been seen in a while?

Lisa shook her head to get rid of such thoughts and entered the apartment building, climbing the stairs to the tiny fifth-floor flat. She unlocked the door and turned up the light switch, but there was no sign of Remus yet. She checked the cracked wall clock – 2:30. With one more sigh, Lisa undressed and slipped between the sheets.

An hour later, while she was still only half-asleep, Lisa heard the door open and Remus groan quietly as he sank in the bed next to her. His lips immediately found their way to her shoulder, and his warm arm coiled around her waist. She loved seeing her friends today, but she had to admit that this right here was her favorite moment of the day.

* * *

oOo

When Lisa woke up in the morning, Remus was still in the bed with her (for once). She remained still for a few minutes to savor the moment. She loved the way his skin felt on hers and how his breath ticked her back every time he exhaled. But eventually nature called, and she had to reluctantly slip away from his warmth and go to the bathroom. After she was done with her morning routine, she closed the door behind her and froze. There was a passed out deer in the living room, lying unconscious on the floor. A big black dog was curled up next to it on the carpet, and the red armchair was the resting place of two rats.

 _Those idiots must've gotten really pissed last night,_ Lisa thought. She bent over the table to scribble down a note for Lily to let her know James was there and put it aside for when her owl, Gwen, returned from her hunt.

The young witch approached the animals on the floor and knelt down, reaching out to touch James' antlers carefully. She had only ever seen the Marauders in their animal forms once, and she didn't even know it was them back then. James had carried her off on his back while Sirius distracted the transformed Remus. Her gaze moved to the black dog, and she stroked his head. It felt so soft. She had wondered at times what Sirius' hair would feel like.

Then she heard Remus' quiet footsteps as he came into the room and crouched down next to her.

"Can we get one?" she asked in muted voice, continuing to pet the sleeping dog whose drool was dripping onto the carpet.

"I think one Sirius is plenty for everyone," her boyfriend replied, making her chuckle.

"Not Sirius, Merlin no! A dog."

"I don't think it would be fair to it. We move around too much."

And they couldn't afford to feed it.

"Which one is Peter?" Lisa inclined her head to the red armchair, where the two rats were sleeping.

Remus frowned slightly. "The one on the left. Where did the other one come from?"

"No idea; I found them like this. It must be one of ours. Should I get rid of it?"

"Let's wait until he wakes up."

Lisa raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Remus smirked. "To make sure we have the right rat."

"But you didn't even hesitate in identifying him before."

"I could be wrong."

"... You just think it'll be funny when he wakes up."

Remus only threw her a look, but that smirk was still firmly on his face. "I would never do a thing like that."

Lisa chuckled, then turned her head and kissed his cheek. "Go brush your teeth, your breath could kill. I'll get breakfast started."

He shook with silent laughter but stood up and headed to the bathroom. She walked over to the kitchen - which was really a fridge and an oven in the corner, with a sink between them - and took out the one measly orange they had, getting to work on squeezing its juice into a glass. It filled about half of it. Then she took her wand murmured a refilling charm. After that she separated the juice into six glasses, only about an inch in each, doing the same to them. Satisfied with the results, she placed the glasses on the battered table just as Remus returned from the bathroom.

He opened the fridge and just stood there for a moment. Lisa went to peek over his shoulder. All they had was a piece of cheese that was starting to get moldy, three eggs, an onion, and a half-eaten piece of salami.

"Scrambled eggs?" she suggested.

"Scrambled eggs."

Remus took the eggs and turned on the heat on the hotplate, while Lisa waved her wand and watched the salami chop itself. She then wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and just inhaled his warm scent while the eggs sizzled pleasantly in the pan and the muscles of his back moved when he stirred them.

Someone groaned from the floor. Lisa chuckled and let go of her boyfriend, who piled the eggs in a plate, added the salami and served it on the table, multiplying it with a wave of his wand.

"How was the floor?" Lisa asked merrily, watching James sit up, his glasses askew and his hair messier than normal.

"Best night sleep I've ever had," he said flatly. "You should try it some time."

Sirius rose up as well, his black shirt unbuttoned and his whole body covered with glitter. Lisa opened her mouth to ask when a startled shriek attracted her attention as Peter fell off the chair. Remus tried to contain his snicker, and James and Sirius turned their messy heads in that direction, too sleepy to laugh. The second rat skittered across the floor, but Sirius turned it into a pincushion with a lazy wave of his wand.

"Come on, Rat Boy," James said, helping Peter up on his feet, and the Marauders all sat down on the table.

Then their attention was drawn to the window, where Gwen pecked at the glass. Lisa went to let her in, tying the letter to Lily on her leg with an apologetic look. The owl pecked her hand a little harder than usual, but turned around and flew out.

"What did you _do_ last night?" Lisa asked, joining them on the table.

"Drank some. Caused mischief. The usual," James said. Sirius gave out an incoherent groan. Remus stood up and went to his coat, retrieving a few small vials from the inner pocket.

"Here, Padfoot, this should help," he said, placing the light-purple potions in front of his friends.

"What is it?" James asked skeptically, lifting it up to the light and squinting at it.

"Hangover potion. They sold them at the bar," the werewolf replied, sitting in front of his eggs again. He took a bite and looked at his friends. James was sniffing the potion suspiciously, Peter was eyeing it with distrust, and Sirius was already snoring again, his head propped on his hand and a bit of drool dripping onto the table. "It's not poisoned, I checked. I know enough about potions to recognize what this is."

James threw him a look, shrugged, and drank it in one gulp. Peter waited to see if he'd keel over dead, but when he didn't, drank his as well. Lisa reached over and wiped Sirius' drool from the table (and his chin) with a napkin, then propped his head up and emptied the vial in his mouth. He choked and stood up straighter, while she patted his back.

"Better?" Lisa asked.

He tried to wave her away, still coughing, and she simply laughed and returned to her seat next to Remus. When she sat down, he caressed her thigh affectionately and she gave him a smile.

"Why is Sirius covered in glitter?" she asked. To her surprise, Remus went a little red in the face. James and Peter exchanged a look and sniggered. Lisa's eyes moved between them, an amused smile blooming on her face.

"I don't know. Wormy, why _is_ Padfoot all glittery?" James said innocently.

"I think it was because he saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand," Peter said, then laughed hysterically and slumped over the table.

Lisa looked to Remus questioningly, but he only rolled his eyes and continued eating his breakfast.

"Did you order Chinese last night?" she asked, confused.

"Just ignore—"

"He was going to get a big dish of Beef Chow Mein," Sirius said, suddenly coherent again. James lost it and laughed so loudly some of the upstairs neighbors knocked on the ceiling and a bit of white dust fell on their heads.

"Do you want me to make this glitter permanent?" Remus threatened casually.

"Oooh, Moony's getting serious," Sirius teased. "Better stay away from him. He'll rip your lungs out, Jim!"

Lisa looked to James. "Jim?"

"I'd like to meet his tailor," James wheezed and all three of them exploded in laughter again.

Now she was completely lost. Looking to Remus for answers, she saw him sigh and take a sip from his orange juice.

"A person on the street was giving out leaflets for a Chinese place," he began.

"Called Lee Ho Fook's," James managed to say in between guffaws. Remus ignored him.

"And I took one. When we got to the bar, I read through it while we were waiting for our second round of drinks and this song came on the radio—"

Suddenly, the other three Marauders howled like wolves. "Awoooooo! Werewolves of London! Awoooooo!"

Then they erupted in laughter again. The neighbors made more plaster fall from the ceiling. Lisa giggled a little.

"Looks like you lot had fun," she said, standing up and going over to Sirius, gesturing for him to get up. "You're scattering the stuff all over the flat." When he obeyed, she muttered the suctioning charm and began to sweep the sparkling bits away.

"Not as much fun as your boyfriend," Sirius said, lifting his arms so Lisa could reach everywhere. "Why're you getting all defensive, Moony? You were howling louder than all of us last night."

Lisa's head snapped back to look at Remus, for a second thinking Sirius meant 'howling in pain'. But to her surprise, Remus was looking at his eggs, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. And then it dawned on her.

"Wait... you _sang_?"

The other three Marauders began snickering again.

Lisa's eyes wandered to each of their faces. "I thought Remus couldn't handle alcohol?"

James shrugged. "Depend on what you give him."

"What did you give him?"

"Muggle beer."

"You went to a muggle bar?" Lisa asked, a bit of jealousy sneaking into her voice. She'd always been fascinated by purely muggle things, because as a pureblood she never had contact with many of them.

Sirius snorted. "It was kind of a dump. Didn't know you were interested in bars, Fawley. I'll take you to a better one."

Now it was James' turn to snort. "Padfoot, are you trying to seduce your best mate's girl?"

Lisa and Sirius exchanged a glance and snickered.

"Oh yes, what girl can resist such a sparkly specimen of man?" she said and giggled.

"Still, I think that's enough touching of his abs," Remus said jokingly and his arm wrapped around Lisa's waist, drawing her into his lap.

Everyone laughed and she coiled her arms around his neck.

"Sorry, Padfoot, you'll have sparkle in the sun for a while," Lisa said.

Sirius laughed, buttoning up his shirt. "Well, technically if I—"

But Lisa never found out what he could technically do, because at that moment a hurricane of red hair burst into the flat.

"JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER!" Lily bellowed, her green eyes sparkling dangerously. "HOW _DARE_ YOU TELL ME YOU'LL BE OUT FOR A FEW HOURS WITH THE BOYS, THEN MAKE ME WAIT FOR YOU ALL NIGHT?! DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS?" She walked right over and pulled James up by the ear. "If Lisa hadn't sent me a letter, I would have thought you were lying dead in some ditch!" Lily continued, dragging him towards the door. "Meanwhile, you're here, laughing like an idiot and not even sparing a thought about how I must be feeling, wondering what happened to you—"

"I'm sorry, it slipped my mind!" James tried to say, but it only seemed to fuel her anger.

"Slipped your mind?" Lily's nostrils flared, and she looked alarmingly like an angry dragon. " _SLIPPED YOUR MIND_?! I'll show you what else slipped your mind! The dishes, for starters! And the den, and the garden, the kitchen, I want you to make the whole house _shine_ without using even a smidgen of magic, and the next time you decide to pull something like this, I'll make you clean _Sirius' flat_."

James threw a pleading look to his friends, but they were all too stupefied to move. And none of them were stupid enough to get in the way of Lily's wrath.


	12. Status Report

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **Status report**

When Lisa entered Mad-Eye Moody's house, the first face she saw was James'.

"Am I on time?" she asked, checking the grandfather clock along the right wall.

"A bit early, actually," he replied and grinned. "But just in time for tea. Lily is making some in the kitchen."

Lisa gave him a smile and then headed down the hall, turning the handle of the second door on the right. She had already learned the layout of the house, which served as the main HQ for the Order of the Phoenix, though they had a few other safe houses – the Bones and McKinnon homes.

Opening the door, Lisa saw a fuming Lily Evans, waving her wand sharply and accidentally exploding a mug. Swearing under her breath, the redhead stooped down and repaired it, vanishing the hot liquid.

"You okay?" Lisa asked softly.

"I'm just peachy," Lily said crossly, not even turning around. She rose to her feet and went over to the sink, filling the mug anew.

"I can see that," Lisa said, closing the door behind her and taking another cup out of the cupboard. "Are Remus, Sirius and Peter here yet?"

"I couldn't care less about Black and his personal matters!" Lily snapped, placing the mug on a silver tray next to five others. "He can freeze his butt out there, _it's his life_ after all!" Then she took the tray and stormed out.

Lisa stared after her in bewilderment. She filled her own mug and glanced out the window. Sirius was sitting on the front steps, smoking a cigarette moodily. He was what one would call a 'casual' smoker, only lighting up if he wanted to look cool or when he needed to let off some steam. Lisa guessed this was the latter case.

A few minutes later, she walked out with two steaming mugs in her hands and sat down on the stairs next to him.

"How's the brooding going?" she asked.

"Sod off, Fawley," he said, chucking his bud into the snow.

"Don't you want your tea first? It's your favorite. Black." She held it up to him, hoping the warm steam would tempt him.

Sirius have her a sideways glance, then huffed, grinned, and took the mug. "You and your puns," he mumbled into it.

Lisa snorted. "Says the guy who had Peter convinced for nearly half a year his middle name was Lee."

Sirius snickered into the cup. "He's just so trusting. It was too easy, I couldn't resist."

The two of them just stood side by side in silence for a while.

"Aren't you going to tear into me too?" he asked after a few minutes.

"That depends," she replied honestly. "What did you do?"

He gave her a puzzled look. "Didn't Evans tell you? Didn't Marlene?"

"Ah," Lisa said, finally understanding. "You mean the 'you and Marlene' thing. Yes, she told me. Lily was too cross to explain herself and opted to blow up a mug instead."

"She isn't my mother," Sirius grunted angrily. "I don't need her to tell me how to live my life."

Lisa sipped from her tea. "Is that what she did?"

"What I do with Marlene and _why_ I do it is none of her business!" he snapped. "And I am _not_ using anyone! McKinnon is not stupid, she knows what this is!"

"Are you sure about that?" Lisa asked quietly. Sirius turned to shoot her a look, but she continued facing forward. "She seemed very excited when she told us. Downright giddy."

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. "I'm not using her," he repeated stubbornly.

"No one says you are."

"Evans says it!"

"She doesn't mean it. She's only trying to watch out for Marlene. What else did she tell you?"

"That I should sit her down and 'define the relationship'."

"And you don't want to?"

"We're both adults, for Merlin's sake!" Sirius exclaimed in exasperation. "She _knows_ what this is."

"That's just the thing," Lisa replied. "I don't think she does."

Sirius lit another cigarette. Lisa leaned on his shoulder.

"I miss her too," she said. He remained silent, but they both knew she wasn't talking about Marlene anymore. "Every day I see something she would like, or hear a joke she would laugh at. I miss her cynical sense of humor, and her practical reasoning. I know I have Lily and all of you, but... it's just not the same."

"... No, it's not," he agreed quietly.

They remained like that, simply staring into space, until they heard laughter from inside and the thumping of many feet. A large group must have just arrived.

Lisa turned back and threw a look at the door. "The meeting is about to start," she said, getting up. He said nothing. Lisa walked up to the door but hesitated with a hand on the handle. "I think... I think she misses us too. I know Dorcas better than anyone, and I... haven't lost hope."

Sirius was silent and still, the smoke of the cigarette rising lazily from his hand. Lisa left him to think things over in peace and entered the house.

* * *

oOo

"So, how are things back at Hogwarts?" Lisa asked, setting her half-empty cup of tea on the table and sitting down next to Benjy Fenwick. He and Emma Vance had flooed from Hogwarts to attend tonight's Order meeting. Most of the members were already at Moody's house, waiting for the host and a few others to show up so they could begin.

"Yes, do tell," Marlene chimed in from beside her, sipping from her own cup. "I miss school gossip."

Lisa rolled her eyes but couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. Leave it to Marlene to be surrounded by a raging war and still care about who is going out with whom.

"Well, as far as school gossip goes, there's this fourth year that's annoying everyone," Benjy said.

Marlene perked up. "Ooh, what did they do?"

"Carved his name into the Quidditch pitch," Emma Vance answered from Benjy's other side.

"Sounds like something James and Sirius would do," Lisa snorted, and Sirius joined her, having just come into the room and taken a seat on Marlene's other side.

"Prongs! Why didn't we ever think of that?"

"Because if anyone had so much as pointed their wand at the pitch while I was at Hogwarts, I would've strung them upside down over the lake and left them to the mercy of the Giant Squid," James replied. "Who is the little punk?"

"Gilderoy Lockhart, he's a Ravenclaw. The lad is bonkers," Benjy said. "He's been pulling stunts like that for a while, but all he ever accomplishes is to get himself in detention."

Sirius smirked. "Looks like someone is trying to fill the void we left."

"Trying and failing. It's like watching a Storm Trooper try to be Darth Vader," Benjy quipped. James, Lily and Sirius laughed, but the others just exchanged confused looks.

"Storm Trooper? What is that supposed to be?" Lisa asked.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! Are you telling me you haven't seen _Star Wars_ yet!?" Benjy exclaimed under the amused looks of Lisa and Marlene.

"Ben, I haven't been to a muggle cinema since I was fourteen," Lisa said.

"You're missing out. _Rocky_ was the most awesome thing to happen to the world since the invention of contraceptives," Sirius joined in. Benjy chuckled, but Marlene hit his shoulder.

" _Rocky_? You're so predictable, Padfoot," James quipped from two chairs over. "Knowing Fawley, she and Moony would probably rather sit through some pretentious arthouse movie like _Annie Hall_. And _Star Wars_ is the best thing to come out of muggle cinema."

"The best? How about _Halloween, Saturday Night Fever, The Goodbye Girl_ , _Dawn of the Dead_ , _Erasehead_?" Benjy listed with a smirk.

"What can I say? I'm a man of simple tastes." James grinned.

"You're always satisfied with the best?" Lisa quipped, but everyone just stared at her blankly. She forgot sometimes that Remus was the only one that caught her literary references.

"Exactly!" Sirius recovered. "Just like Rocky. Even though everyone told him he couldn't do it, he didn't stop until he was the best."

"I liked _Grease_ ," Emma joined in.

"My favorite recently has been _Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band_ ," Lily chipped in too.

"That's because you're a total Beetles geek," James quipped at her.

"I'm a _fan_ , not a geek!" Lily protested.

"You're a total geek. Who else would know how Ringo got his name?"

"A lot of fans know that! It was because of the rings he wore, he even said it in this hilarious interview—"

James snickered. "Face it, Lil. Your nerd is showing."

Lily gasped indignantly hit James with a severe Tickling charm. He doubled over in laughter, wheezing out, "You'll pay for this, Evans!"

Lily shot up and ran past the table, giggling like mad, almost knocking down Lisa's cup of tea. She reached forward to steady it, when James went by in hot pursuit and bumped her in the back.

"Honestly, you two!" Lisa tried to scold them, but a smile was playing on her lips. "You're supposed to be a married couple soon! Act like adults!"

"Never!" James exclaimed, catching up to his fiancée and staring to tickle her mercilessly. Lily shrieked and laughed, squirming under his fingers. Ben let out a loud laugh, joined by Emma, Peter, Marlene and Fabian. Edgar Bones was smirking as well, barely following what Elphias Dodge was going on about, and Caradoc and Gideon tied to stifle their chuckling from the armchairs they had conjured. There were never enough chairs in the Order HQ.

"Did I just step though a wormhole? I could've sworn you lot were legal adults that left Hogwarts half a year ago," came a jovial voice from the door, and Frank Longbottom and his wife Alice walked in, wearing broad grins.

Just as they joined the others on the table in the middle of the room, Mad-Eye Moody burst unexpectedly through the door and shot a hex at the ceiling. The chandelier fell down on top of everyone, and the Order members scattered. Lisa's wand was in her hand before she could even think about it, casting shield charms against Moody's continued onslaught of curses. Peter, Marlene, Fabian, Benjy and Emma were still on the ground, trying to process what was happening, as were Caradoc, Edgar and Elphias, but the Longbottoms, Sirius, James, Lily and Gideon soon had Moody against a wall.

"Good," Mad-Eye said, eyeing the six wands pointed at his chest with his normal eye, while his magical one fixed on each member that had panicked. "I see at least half of you can function under pressure."

"This was a drill?!" Lisa exclaimed, helping Benjy up. "Mad-Eye, you've completely lost it! You could've killed someone with that!"

The Auror's eye fixed on her. "If a falling piece of furniture can kill you, you're better off reading by the fire at home."

Frank and Alice retracted their wands, as did Gideon and Lily. But James and Sirius didn't move.

"... Did we miss something?" came a voice from the door, and Sturgis Podmore walked in with Remus, returning from their patrol. The werewolf's eyes darted to the people on the floor, the remnants of the chandelier and then to his friends. Lisa gave him a small nod to reassure him everyone was all right before he and Sturgis took a few steps forward to help old Elphias back to his feet.

"James?" Lily called after her fiancé refused to lower his wand.

"How do we know he's not an impostor?" Sirius said.

Frank rolled his eyes. "He does this kind of rubbish all the time. There was hardly a week during my training when I didn't have to duck the second I turned my back to him."

"And if a Death Eater were to impersonate him, he would've bothered to learn a thing like that. He was probably counting on you knowing that. A little convenient he sprung this attack the minute you walked in, isn't it?" James said calmly. Everyone's eyes shifted to Moody.

A smirk stretched onto the wizard's scarred face. "Good work, boy. And how would you know if it was me or not if, as you say, I have done my job as a Death Eater and learned details about myself?"

"What did you tell us the night we were initiated into the Order?" Remus asked.

Both of Moody's eyes shifted to him. "And what if I said I have forgotten?"

"Then we'll force-feed you Veritaserum, which we all know you keep in your bathroom. Shall I go get it?"

Moody stared Remus down for a few long moments.

"You've all been accepted into the Order of the Phoenix. Most of you will end up dead before you turn twenty, congratulations," he said finally.

James and Sirius lowered their wands. The tension dissipated, and Gideon and Fabian repaired the chandelier while Lily looked over everyone for injuries. When Moody's den was back to normal, everyone took a seat around the table again.

"Are we waiting for anyone else?" Edgar asked, dusting off his shoulders.

"Dung," Sturgis replied, then turned to Remus. "He was supposed to be here before us, wasn't he?"

"I think so. Though he could've gotten held up by that mysterious 'contact' of his."

"Look, I know I'm new to this, but are we _sure_ we can trust Mundungus?" Fabian chimed in.

"Dumbledore trusts him," Edgar said shortly, and that ended any further discussion on the subject.

"Right. Diggle said he couldn't make it and Figg was sent on some errand for Dumbledore. We'll start without them then," Moody said gruffly, waving his wand towards the desk, from where a parchment and quill flew out, ready to take protocol. "Podmore, progress on the Lestranges?"

"None," Sturgis sighed. "No matter what we do, we can't get a hold of anything solid. We tailed Bellatrix for five hours today, but we have nothing to show for it."

"We entered into Borgin and Burk's right after her, but the clerk denied selling her anything, even though she came out with a package," Remus added. "And the spells around the Lestrange Manor are so thick we can't even approach it. I agree that there _must_ be something going on in there, but without that warrant your squad of Aurors can't do anything."

Moody nodded grimly. The Lestranges were all near-confirmed Death Eaters, but without solid proof the Ministry's hands were tied. "Vance, Fenwick. How is the Hogwarts fight?"

"Not good," Benjy spoke up. "They must be getting more outside contact than ever, because the curses they use on muggle-borns become more and more savage every time we catch them. We're losing people to their side by the day; Crouch has taken to threatening family members of the Defenders. And we know he can deliver." Benjy's face fell. "Mandy Cartwright's parents were both killed last week because she stopped the torture of a second year. She backed out of the Defenders; we had to erase her memory."

Lily gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. Things were getting really bad in Hogwarts.

"Dumbledore still won't expel those kids?" Fabian growled through gritted teeth, his hands balling into fists.

"You never know who's in it for real and who's been blackmailed or pressured," Emma joined in. "And since Dorcas... This year we have no people in Slytherin at all. No one can stand up to them anymore, those who were on our side backed out. And I can't blame them. It's hard to oppose them when you sleep in the same dorm."

Everyone exchanged dark looks, but they all knew she was right.

"Prewett," Moody broke the silence. "What have you learned of the international affairs?"

"Voldemort is still sticking to Britain," Fabian said. "Building up his power, I'd reckon. I don't know how many people he's got in the Department, but the import laws are becoming ridiculous. Acrumantula eggs, Basilisk venom, Erumpent horns, Unicorn blood and Werewolf claws are all legal tradable goods now. It's obvious to everyone it's His doing, but no one knows what to do about it."

"Did you just say 'Werewolf claws'?" Sirius repeated in disgust.

"I did," Fabian confirmed darkly. "No idea where they get them from, but I overheard how a wizard was almost busted for selling them in Knockturn Alley. The official that brought him in wasn't aware of the new amendment in the laws."

The whole table's eyes turned to Remus, who was adamantly staring at some fixed point in front of him, a clear crease of distaste between his eyebrows. Sirius, James and Lisa exchanged a look. How exactly _had_ that wizard gotten a hold of werewolf claws?

"Dodge. The goblin family?" Moody continued, undisturbed by the horrible implications of the last news.

"Safe, for the moment," the white-haired wizard said. "Not happy about having to hide, but they know what will happen to them if they don't. Always so confrontational when I go to visit..."

"Dumbledore is sure that it's imperative they remain hidden. Do remind them that we're the only thing standing between them and the end of a Death Eater's wand," Moody growled.

"Will someone finally shed some light on this goblin issue?" Gideon called. "We've been hearing about them and that they need to be protected, but none of us know _why_."

"Dumbledore thinks it'd be best that as few people as possible are in the know," Moody explained. "All you need to know is that they have information the Dark Lord wants. And he wants it badly. Should any of you be captured, your minds will undoubtedly be searched for it, and we do _not_ want him to learn it. Now, if there are no more questions, I propose we move to patrol schedules."

The meeting continued for quite some time, with different members being assigned tasks for the next couple of days. Remus and Sturgis were to continue their tailing of the Lestranges. James, Peter, Lily and Dedalus Diggle were to investigate an old house that was possibly used as one of many makeshift prisons, and Lisa and Marlene got guard duty at for some family of blood-traitors that was supposedly being targeted. Sirius was on Malfoy tail with Gideon.

"Well, that's it for tonight, then," Moody said, rolling up the protocol. "I'll let you know when the next meeting is taking place."

The Order members stood up and slowly advanced to the coat rack amid the sound of screeching chairs and chatter.

"Potter! Black!" Moody called as the Marauders were putting on their coats. "Nice work under pressure. Have you two ever considered becoming Aurors? We can use wizards like you on the force."

James and Sirius exchanged glances.

"Moony was the one that figured you out. All we did was suspect you," James said.

"That is true. Lupin's a bright kid, but he'll never be accepted into the Auror program... for obvious reasons."

All three of them turned their heads in the werewolf's direction, but he was too busy buttoning his coat pretending not to hear.

"Bah, who wants to be an Auror anyway? It's a job for chumps," Sirius announced, rather loudly. Remus' fingers froze on the fourth button. "We're not too keen on being the Ministry's lap dogs. Are we, Prongs?"

"Of course not," James jumped in immediately. "No offense Mad-Eye, but I don't really fancy twiddling my thumbs because 'the law's hands are tied'. I'm a Marauder; I never play by the rules."

Sirius barked a laugh and patted him on the back. "Good one, James. Sorry, but we've spent too much of our lives rebelling _against_ authority. We can't go joining it now, can we?"

Lisa chuckled and gave the boys a genuine smile. Remus was staring unseeingly into space, so she stepped closer and finished buttoning up his coat.

"Let's go, mate," James said to him, patting him on the back and putting on his own jacket. "Lily's making bangers and mash tonight. You two are in, right?"

"You know it," Lisa replied as Remus finally came to his senses and turned around to face his friends.

"Bangers and mash sounds lovely."


	13. Paper Moon

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **Paper moon**

"Well, now we've officially moved in," Lisa said, taking a step back to admire her work.

Since they had to leave the last place in a rush - the landlord found out about Remus in record time, they hadn't even fully unpacked before having to pick up and leave - the only flat they could find that fit into their budget was unfurnished. It was slightly smaller than the previous one, which was actually quite an accomplishment, but the wallpaper didn't have any spots on it, and it had a very tiny balcony. There were plaster holes in the ceiling and a few rats running through the floor occasionally, but it wasn't so bad. Downside was that right at this moment the only piece of furniture they had was the red second-hand armchair Remus had bought for their very first flat. It now stood right in the middle of the empty room, with the couple's traveling trunks on each side to add symmetry.

"We should really do something about the rats..." Remus muttered dejectedly, spying one leaving its hole in the northern wall and skittering through the floor.

"It's fine, we'll just turn them into goblets if they come too close," Lisa quipped, going to stand next to him and observe her handiwork on the chair arrangement. "Not bad, considering what I had to work with. You think I have a future in interior design?"

A slight smile tugged at Remus' lips despite the weight in his chest. "Your decorating skills won't be of much comfort in the morning, when your neck hurts from having to sleep in a chair."

"That's what magic is for." Lisa smirked, pointing her wand at the chair. It elongated, and the back reclined until it was a decent-looking bed. "There," she added, transfiguring her coat into a blanket. "This should be okay for a few days. We'll just have to raid some muggle flea-market or something. It'll be fine."

Just as Remus was about to say something, the lights above them flickered, then went out. Someone yelled something in Lithuanian from upstairs, and footsteps echoed through the ceiling, sending a bit of white dust down to the floor. Lisa heard Remus sigh heavily next to her and slipped her hand in his, squeezing lightly.

"Muggles and their _eckeltricity_ ," Lisa said to lighten the mood and pointed her wand at one of the trunks. A rolled up piece of parchment flew towards them, and, with a swift motion of her wand, she cut out a crescent paper moon out of it. Tapping it lightly so it began to glow with a soft blue light, Lisa levitated it to the middle of the room where it hung like a magical lantern. After a moment's hesitation she decided they could use a little more light and conjured a few Bluebell flames, scattering them across the ceiling as well. "Good thing my boyfriend is a brilliant wizard, and we don't need that," she added with a grin and pointed her wand to the old gramophone in the corner he had enchanted for her in their sixth year, making a certain record spin.

"Well, it's a marvelous night for a Moondance, with the stars up above in your eyes. A fantabulous night to make romance, 'neath the cover of October skies," Lisa sang along with Van Morrison, pulling Remus into a dance.

"It's December," he pointed out jokingly, but she only rolled her eyes.

"Don't ruin the moment."

He chuckled and pulled her closer, taking the lead, his smile illuminated by the paper moon. He didn't know how she managed it, but Lisa could make even the most depressing want-to-cry-yourself-to-sleep moment happy.

"I think it's been about a year since the last time we danced," he said.

"Hm, wasn't that at James' New Year's party? When you told me of the trail of crying women you left behind in Hogwarts?"

" _Three_ girls, and only one was left crying!" he retorted, but it only served to make her laugh.

"Heartbreaker."

"O, never say that I was false of heart, though absence seemed my flame to qualify. As easy might I from my self depart, as from my soul which in thy breast doth lie."

"I wonder, is there a situation in which you wouldn't know which book to quote?" Lisa teased.

"Are you accusing me of quoting poetry at inappropriate times?" Remus said in mock-offense. "Because if you are, you're the biggest hypocrite in existence."

"What?! All of my quotes are perfectly appropriate!"

"I seem to recall a certain line from _Love's Suicide_ being quoted to me while I was trying to do the exact opposite."

"That stunt you pulled with the chocolate frogs was _the most embarrassing thing_ to happen to me during my entire stay at Hogwarts! I don't know how I ever managed to show my face again in public after that! I just wanted to crawl into some dark hole and die."

Remus chuckled and leaned in closer. "I can think of a few other things we can do in the dark," he whispered in her ear and it sent shivers down her spine. His lips slowly moved to her earlobe, then to her neck, and his hands slipped under her shirt as they continued to sway. Her skin tingled there he touched it, and her fingers threaded through his soft, brown hair. He inhaled her warm scent, and she sighed when his breath made contact with her neck.

 _And I'm trying to please to the calling_ _o_ _f your heart-strings that play soft and low_

He lowered her onto the bed and clothes fell to the floor.

 _And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush_

His fingers traced up her bare thigh as she wrapped it around his waist.

 _A_ _nd all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush_

His hand found hers in the darkness and their fingers intertwined.

 _Can I just have one more Moondance with you, my love_

The bed screeched alarmingly against the floor.

"We'll break it," Lisa breathed into his shoulder.

"That's what magic is for," he replied, capturing her lips with his own.

 _Can I just make some more romance with you, my love_

The record reached its end and the needle began to skip, but the couple didn't seem to notice, their ears full only with whispered names and ragged breaths.

* * *

oOo

Remus lay on his side, just watching the sunrays catch in Lisa's honey-blonde hair. In the right light, it looked almost ginger. The locks were scattered on her exposed back, as she slept on her stomach, head turned away from him. He frowned slightly, wishing she were facing him so he could kiss her. Deciding to go for her shoulder instead, he moved a few tresses out of the way but stopped, feeling like he got slapped in the face. The long scars deforming her skin were almost as prominent as the night she got them, ugly and misshapen. The image of them alone was enough to make him wince, as he was able to clearly picture the pain she must've gone through. He hadn't felt his own claws dig into his skin in a long time, but something like that is not easily forgotten. His fingers almost unconsciously traced one of the longer claw marks, stretching from her shoulder blade all the way down to the small of her back.

She stirred and stretched, turning around to look at him. There was something so wonderful about the way she looked, naked under the sheets, with the winter sun reflected in her eyes, and it took his breath away.

"Good morning."

She smiled at him, and without even thinking about it, he leaned in for a kiss. Her arms coiled around his neck, bringing his body closer, as he hovered on top of her, his scarred chest pressing against her bare breasts.

"Have I told you before that you somehow still taste great in the morning, while simultaneously having the worst case of morning breath on the planet?" she quipped when they broke apart.

"I don't know about that. Have you smelled Padfoot in the morning? Though I can't speak for the taste," said a voice behind them, and Remus and Lisa looked to the door, where James and Sirius had just entered. Remus swore loudly and rolled off to reach for his wand while Lisa shot to a sitting position, gathering the sheets to her chest.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE!?" she yelled, but they only snickered.

"House warming," Sirius replied casually, holding up a bottle of wine.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?!"

"We knocked. No one answered, so we let ourselves in," James said offhandedly, his eyes sliding down to the broken legs of the bed, which was now completely flat on the floor. "You broke the bed? Moony, you beast."

" _Obscuro!_ " Remus said, pointing his wand at his friends. Black blindfolds covered their eyes, but they barely reacted to them.

"So what would you say, Prongs? A solid C cup?" Sirius continued nonchalantly.

"Moony was blocking my view. C is a good guess though, but it looked more on the B side."

"Because she was on her back. Trust me; I've seen Bs and those—"

"GET OUT, YOU BASTARDS!" Lisa shouted, face red and wand held high. The repulsing charm sent them both staggering out the door, which then slammed loudly in their faces. Their laughter echoed through the walls, and she reclined back in the bed, burning with embarrassment.

"I hate your friends," she said when Remus joined her, propped up on his elbow.

"I'm sorry about them," he sighed.

"Didn't we have locking charms on the door?"

"We did, but that's never stopped either of them before."

"Why do we even bother giving them keys then?!"

"Because they gave me theirs. I felt like I had to return the gesture."

Lisa laughed and looked at him. His warm smile and the way he was looking at her were quickly erasing any other thoughts.

"Let me try to make it up to you?" he said, gently tracing the shape of her now exposed breast.

"You'd need to do something pretty spectacular to make up for _that_."

"Well, I have been told I'm better than Merlin," he said seductively in her ear. She giggled, but it soon turned into a sigh, when his lips pressed to her neck and his hand slid downwards.

* * *

oOo

In the following week, Lisa and Remus visited multiple flea-markets, agreeing that having some furniture of their own would be an investment in the long run. After about five or six, they had a battered couch that doubled as a bed, a table, six plain wooden chairs, a worn coffee table, and three rugs. Dorcas' gold came in very handy, though with each knut spent, Lisa felt more and more guilty. She had to lie to Remus and tell him she just got an advance on this month's pay, although the witch who was her boss seemed like she would rather swallow bubotuber puss then give her an advance. The woman really hated her for some reason.

' _I_ _should remember to buy a bookshelf,_ ' Lisa thought one evening, exiting the bathroom after a shower. The room looked relatively decent now, especially with Remus sitting on the sofa and scribbling something on a piece of parchment, occasionally consulting a thick dictionary on the shabby coffee table. It was almost homey.

"What are you doing?" she asked, sitting down next to him and producing a gust of hot air from her wand to dry her hair.

"Translating. I answered an ad in the _Daily Prophet_ this morning; some wizard wants this 12th century runic contract translated into Latin. They'll pay me twelve sickles per page."

Lisa peered into the parchment and frowned. "This wording is so archaic! They should be paying you more!" she said. He only shrugged.

"I suppose that's why the ad was in the paper. A real agency would've taken triple for a text of this complexity."

"But you're still doing it for next to nothing?" Lisa grumbled.

"Better than _actual_ nothing. If I asked for a higher pay, I'd probably have to present credentials and personal information and they'd reject me. We could use the money."

"Why? We already got what we needed. I was hoping to get a bookshelf, but I can live without it."

Remus put down the quill and turned to look at her. "A shelf shouldn't be too expensive. How much from that advance have you got left?"

"It doesn't matter, I can dip into the fund for this. We agreed it's an investment."

"We also agreed you should save that money for when you really need it."

"I think having no furniture qualifies as 'need'," she said dryly. "And I have some more from the advance, yes. I'll go looking for a shelf tomorrow after work, then. Is there something more you want?"

"No."

"Liar."

Remus chuckled softly. He shouldn't have answered that quickly, it was always a dead giveaway.

"What is it?" Lisa urged.

"I was... I was thinking maybe we could get a writing desk? Not a big one, I think an old desk should serve just as well as a new one, and a lot of people want to get rid of bulky furniture, so they'll be willing to sell cheaply."

"Pining after the glory days, eh?" Lisa teased.

He smiled at her and picked up the quill again. "The glory days?"

"When you had to write essay after essay. Do you miss homework, Prefect Lupin?"

Remus laughed lightly, and his eyes turned back to the parchment. "You could say that."

"Really?" she said, a bit surprised. "I was just kidding. You really want to go back to Hogwarts?"

"... In a sense."

Lisa shot him a look. "Okay, how about you stop being vague and tell me what's going on?"

Remus left the parchment on the table and reclined back into the couch, running a hand through his hair.

"I've been thinking lately..." he started. Lisa's stomach twisted into knots. Usually when Remus thought about things, it never ended up being positive. "About... about what I want to do with my life. I know I have very limited possibilities, but I was granted an education and... I was thinking of maybe applying for the qualification tests in the Department of Magical Education. For a Professor." Lisa's jaw dropped. Remus threw her another look and chuckled at the stupefied expression on her face. "You think I'll be a bad teacher?"

"What?! You'll be a _brilliant_ teacher! The best Hogwarts' ever had!" she exclaimed happily and threw her arms around his neck.

"You really think I should try for it?" he asked, embracing her tightly and pulling her into his lap.

"Of course you should! Remus, this would be perfect for you!"

"They won't let me teach immediately... I'll need to have a few years of practice, experience on the field..."

"Oh, stop! So what if you have to wait a little while, Dumbledore knows you, he'd hire you in a heartbeat!"

"It's not just up to him, there's the Board of Governors and—"

She cut him off with her lips. "Shut up. You're ruining my excitement."

"You know what this would mean, don't you?" he said, gazing deeply into her eyes. "A stable income."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Remus, _no one cares_. I'm just happy you'll get to do something you're good at, something you enjoy. You've always been an amazing tutor; I wouldn't have passed my Transfiguration N.E.W.T. without you. And Peter wouldn't have gotten half of his exams."

"I didn't do that much," he said modestly. "You already knew the material, I just helped you believe in yourself."

She smiled at him affectionately and caressed his head. "How did I ever land someone as wonderful as you?"

He chuckled softly and drew her in for another kiss.


	14. The Perfect Gift

**Yes, I know. Slow updates are slow. The reason for this is that I started a full time job, so I have less time, and what time I do have I set aside for my other project, _The Swan Princess_. Which is also going a bit slow :D If any of you happen to like Fairy Tales/Disney, I'd appreciate it if you popped over and gave me an opinion; I've never done anything like it before, but I think it's turning out rather well. I haven't abandoned the Risa ship, though, so don't worry. :) I have most of it planned out, different chunks of plotlines written down, but it's just going to be a little slow for the time being. Thank you guys so much for sticking around, I hope you can understand. Anyways, enjoy this little Christmas Chapter!  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **The Perfect Gift**

Remus stood in front of the store as the cold snow fell around him. Two galleons and twenty-seven sickles. That was all he had.

His attention slipped away from the items on display and lingered on his reflection. He was not even twenty yet, but a few white hairs had started mixing with his brown hair. He wondered if Lisa had noticed them yet, and if she would still thread her fingers through his locks the way she loved to do if they were peppered with grey. The shabby brown coat did little to shield him from the cold; he definitely needed a new one. The hands in his pockets were ice-cold, but he had no gloves.

Two galleons and twenty-seven sickles. That was all he had. And it was almost Christmas.

His eyes focused the items on the other side of the window again. The owner of Quality Quidditch Supplies had decorated his store, and garlands of holy and heaps of enchanted ever-lasting snow could be seen in-between the new broom models, various team jerseys, chaser gloves and numerous other Quidditch-related merchandise. Remus thought of Lisa and how much she loved Quidditch. The injury on her right arm made it impossible to go pro after Hogwarts, but she still read the sports column of the Daily Prophet almost religiously and loved talking for hours with James about their favourite teams.

There was a white sign hanging on the door of the shop.

' ** _Pre-order your tickets for the Amazing Match – The Montrose Magpies versus the Holyhead Harpies!_** '

They said this would be the match of the century; both teams had been on unusual winning streaks. The Montrose Magpies had been Lisa's favourite team since she was nine years old. She put up with so much for him, and he really wanted to make her happy, to get her a present that would make her eyes lit up and allow her to forget their struggles, if even for a moment. But he couldn't afford Quidditch tickets. He couldn't afford anything in this store. His heart sank a little, remembering how she told him that, at one point, she owned at least half of the merchandise on sale. She would never again be able to afford so much as a jar of broom polish from here.

Remus gripped the wallet in his pocket. Two galleons and twenty-seven sickles.

What could he do with such a measly sum?

The young werewolf sighed deeply and turned away from the store, slowly heading down the cobbled street. His hands going numb from the cold and his head hung low, he felt his chin sink into the comforting softness of the red scarf around his neck, which Lisa had made herself two years ago. ' _Perhaps_ ,' he thought, ' _there's something I can make_.' He may not be good for much, but he was a relatively capable wizard. If he only knew what to make...

His eyes swept the street absentmindedly and fell on a second-hand jewelry store. He stopped. To his knowledge, Lisa never wore any jewelry. But he wondered, if it was from him, would she make an exception?

After a bit of hesitation, the werewolf walked inside and came out twelve minutes later, with only three sickles in his pocket.

* * *

oOo

Lisa sat on the worn-out second-hand couch and stared at the wall. It was almost Christmas.

The young witch just sat there, in the tiny, one-bedroom flat, and thought. She had never faced such a problem before. Even when she was rich, Lisa had never really been spoiled; she never pestered her parents for clothes, jewels, or fancy trinkets. There weren't that many things she asked for, but what she wanted – she always got. She had never had to sit down and face the reality that she simply couldn't afford something she really wanted before. And she really, really wanted to buy Remus a nice present for Christmas.

Her eyes travelled from the scratched coffee table to the tatty curtains, looking fruitlessly for a solution to just jump out and present itself. What could she do to raise money? There was still her trust fund, but Remus would never accept anything bought with that. He would only feel guilty about whatever she got him, and Lisa did have her eye on a present. She had seen it in a muggle shop on her way back from work, and the instant her gaze fell on it, she knew it was _made_ for him. It was so perfect and simple, Remus just had to have it, but one look at the price tag had quickly cooled her enthusiasm. Even if she worked non-stop for half a year, she still couldn't afford it.

However, Lisa wasn't going to let that little hurdle stop her. She would get Remus that gift, all she had to do is figure out how. Her first thought before had always been to sell something, which was why she didn't have anything valuable anymore. The first things to go were the fancy dress robes her mother kept buying for her, which she had only worn once for the occasion they were bought. Next were the numerous bracelets, rings and necklaces, which always made her feel like she was suffocating. There was a particular pendant with a heavy blue rock she really hated; the thing was so heavy she felt like it would anchor her to the floor if she even leaned forward slightly. Remus had had his guilt crisis over her selling them, but in reality Lisa couldn't care less; she never wore such things anyway.

But now... she was only down to things she needed. Her currant clothes wouldn't fetch that high of a price, seeing as none of them were designer labels anymore. What few other possessions she had would never earn enough either, she would have to sell them second-hand.

Lisa sighed and went over to her travelling truck, kneeling down and popping the lid. Old school books, potion supplies, small nick-knacks, ink bottles... Her fingers came upon smooth, hard wood, and she froze. Her broom.

Slowly pulling it out from beneath the pile of clothes, Lisa stared at her Silver Arrow. It was the latest model when she had whined it out of her grandfather three years ago, the only fastest broom on the market currently was the Nimbus 1000. The blonde witch's fingers went over the handle lovingly. She had spent Merlin knows how many hours polishing it, pruning stray straws, making sure it was as sleek and as fast as possible. But that was when she had dreams of playing professionally, before werewolf claws dug into her skin and took away her ability to lift her arm past her shoulder. What use was a racing broom to her now? When would she have time to take pleasure in flying when a killing curse could take her out of the sky at any moment? The only time she had even taken it out of the trunk was when she and Lily flew to Azkaban, but she didn't need such a high-class broom for that. Even a Cleansweep would do the job.

Lisa felt tears sting her eyes and hugged her dear Silver Arrow. She couldn't sell this broom, she just couldn't! She had spent too much energy on it, it held such precious memories; it represented a different time in her life when flying was a daily pleasure she could afford, when she felt that rush of scoring a point and hearing the roar of the crowd...

Yet... was that really something she should cling to so desperately?

Lisa wiped the corners of her eyes and held the broomstick at an arm's length, realizing something. It wasn't the physical object she was attached to – it was her time at Hogwarts. It was Quidditch.

But she couldn't have that anymore. This broom was not important; it didn't have any real value to her anymore, other than holding on to the glory days. It was the past, and Remus was her future.

Lisa stood up determinately, threw on her coat and left the flat, the Silver Arrow still clutched tightly in her fist.

* * *

oOo

It was already past ten at night on Christmas Eve when Remus tiredly made his way up the stairs of his building, a small, frozen chicken under his arm (turkey was too expensive). He wished it didn't have to be this way, but on this day people felt more charitable than usual and he managed to land a few hours of work, loading heavy packages into muggles' cars at a London supermarket. He got paid in pounds, of course, which was not a lot with the galleon exchange rate in these times. This was why Lisa always frowned upon him taking muggle jobs. Even the lowest-paying wizarding job earned more than the muggle minimum wage. Wizards didn't need physical labour around Christmas, however, and he had to take what he could get, if he didn't want their Christmas dinner to consist only of scraps again. He had allowed himself the small luxury of a fist-sized chocolate Christmas pudding and a bottle of cranberry sauce.

When he approached the door to his flat, he could hear quiet humming from inside. Not bothering with his keys, Remus turned the handle, and the view before him had him stumped.

The tiny flat looked like a child's drawing. The walls were adorned with spots of distinctly muggle, palm-sized snowflakes, cut out unevenly out of plain paper. In the far corner, there was a thin, shabby, sort of sick-looking Christmas tree, decorated with pinecones, red bows and pieces of colourful construction paper, twisted and bended in strange ways, only barely resembling big five-pointed stars, red-and-white candy canes and golden snitches. The remainder of cut-outs in different colours still cluttered the floor, next to a pair of scissors and an empty tube of glue. Lisa was leaning against the window, gluing more of those cartoony snowflakes to the window, humming 'Deck the Halls'.

Remus closed the door, and the slam caused his girlfriend to turn around sharply. As soon as she saw him, her whole face lit up and she abandoned her project, rushing over to envelop him in her warm embrace.

"I was just finishing! Couldn't you have been five minutes late?" she scolded him playfully and pulled back slightly, still keeping her arms around his neck.

He took another amazed look around the room. "What... is all of this?"

"It's muggle decorations! It cost me only a sickle, come look!" She took his hand and dragged him to the tree, gesturing to each ornament as she explained how she made them. "See, I saw this muggle woman today, she lives on our street, and she was going to throw this tree away. I talked her into letting me have it, and as I was dragging it back up here, I saw that muggle place where they sell notebooks and the like, you know the one? And then I remembered your mum and how she used to make things out of paper for your tree, and I just bought a whole bunch of colourful paper and I cut out all of these! And look, look, I even made that popcorn thing!" Lisa beamed proudly and touched the single string with popcorn that coiled around the tree. "And I did it all the muggle way, not even a simple spell! So what do you think?"

Remus looked down at her, but the words just wouldn't come. He remembered how Lily said once that purebloods are a bit like children when it comes to mundane muggle things, and the fond smile bloomed on his face almost unwittingly.

"I love it," he said, placing a hand on her cheek.

"Oh, but wait, you haven't seen the best part!" Lisa exclaimed and let go of him, running over to the light switch and submerging the room in darkness. Then her hands slipped around his waist, and she whispered in his ear, "Look up."

Remus' eyes soared to the ceiling and found it covered with dozens of fluorescent, glowing stars.

"I did that without magic too," she murmured near his neck. "Took me two hours, but it was worth it. I had to move the chair all around the room, the Chinese lady from down stairs began knocking on the floor at some point." Lisa chuckled softly and kissed his neck. "I'm sorry that the snowflakes are sort of crude. I've never done things without magic before."

Remus turned around, and the plastic bag slipped from his grasp as his arms coiled around her waist and he buried his head in her shoulder, inhaling her sweet scent deeply. "Thank you," he breathed.

"Oh, it really wasn't that much trouble," she said lightly. "And it was sort of fun, trying to—"

"Thank you for being here," he cut her off. "Thank you for putting up with all of this, for—"

"Stop," Lisa said gently, pulling back so she could look at him. "You've said that a million times already. I think it's my turn now. It's Christmas, and it made me think about my life and how things worked out for us since we left school." His face fell. "Things... really aren't the way I thought they would be. I know you tried to tell me, but I guess I never fully grasped that you really would have so few opportunities; you're so brilliant, and I've never had to worry about money before... I suppose I figured it would be okay, that you'd get hired despite your condition, that it would all work itself out. It's been half a year now, and we can barely make ends meet, but there are no signs that this will change anytime soon. This is just... what our lives are going to be like."

Remus looked down, his heart filling with dread. He knew all those things, and the fact that she was confirming how he'd always been afraid she felt didn't bode well. For a second, the cold, horrible thought that she would tell him she's leaving him crossed his mind, but then her fingers touched his chin lightly, lifting his head. Their eyes met and Lisa was looking at him in that way again - so lovingly, that for a second he lost himself and forgot where he was and what he was doing. Then her voice brought him back to reality.

"We are shabby and poor, but you're worth every galleon we don't have. I wouldn't give this up for all the gold in Gringotts."

She slowly closed the distance between their lips, and everything else faded into a white swirl, leaving nothing but them and this moment in existence.


	15. Friend or Foe?

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 **Friend or Foe?  
**

Lisa woke up from the sound of a snowstorm wailing against the window early on Christmas Day. It was warm in Remus' arms though, and she only nuzzled her face into his shoulder, making a humming noise into his pajamas.

His body shook from a light chuckle, and his hand caressed her head. "You'll have to wait a bit; owls will have a hard time flying out in this weather. Go back to sleep."

"Is that why you're awake? Waiting for presents?" Lisa mumbled without even opening her eyes.

"What would I need presents for? I already have everything I could ever ask," he said, kissing the top of her head lightly.

Now it was her turn to chuckle. "Aw, what a waste. And here I was, thinking my present would make you happy."

"You didn't have to get me anything," he said softly.

"I didn't have to. I wanted to." Lisa reluctantly pulled herself away from his embrace and sat up. "Do you want to open it?"

"Just a second." Remus threw the covers off and went into the den, returning shortly with a small package in his hand. "I... I know it's not much," he said, sitting back on the bed. "And it's not... what you're used to. I... I didn't know what you would prefer it to say, so... I can change it if you'd like, it's a simple spell..."

Lisa looked at him in bewilderment. He was tripping over his words and avoiding her eyes, his face rapidly becoming pink. Was he... blushing? She hadn't seen him like this since before they started dating.

Unwrapping the plain brown tissue paper, Lisa found a small, long cardboard box. She opened it and stared at the gift – a thin silver chain, probably barely long enough to reach under her collarbone – momentarily petrified. Taking it out, she watched it dangle from her hand as the charm attached to it glistened in the muted white light coming from the window in the middle of her palm. It was a thin piece of metal, intricately bended to spell out a name. His name.

"I wasn't sure if you'd want it to... I realize this is presumptuous, bordering on arrogance, and if you feel like it's too possessive or—" he babbled, but Lisa more or less ignored him.

A warm smile bloomed on her face as she looked at the charm in her hand, and she raised her palm up to her lips, kissing it gently. "This is the best thing you could have given me," she said honestly, still staring at it fondly. Then she turned her back to him, pulling her hair aside and holding it up. "Help me put it on?"

Remus snapped out of his stupor and obliged, lingering to kiss her exposed shoulder.

Lisa turned to look at him again, hand curled around the charm and eyes sparkling. "The only way I'm ever taking this off is if someone pries it from my cold, dead fingers."

"Good thing it's made of silver then; you would've caught a skin infection."

"Ah, trying to poison me, are you? The Death Eaters finally figured out that if they offered you a life-time supply of chocolate you'd sell me out without a second though, didn't they?"

Remus laughed, and she threw her arms around his neck again, tackling him to the bed with a giggle and kissing him senseless.

"I love it," she said softly when they separated for breath, caressing his head. "Now I can always carry you with me. It truly is the best thing anyone has ever given me."

He smiled warmly at her. "I'm glad you like it." His hands traced a caress up her thighs, but she got off him.

"Not so fast. You haven't opened your present yet." She bent down from the edge, the view not exactly helping to keep his mind on gifts, and pulled out a large square box from under the bed. Remus raised an eyebrow, but she shoved it in his hands before he could ask. "Just open it."

He threw her a look but lifted the lid. His hand froze.

Lisa let him take it all in before tapping her finger in the corner of the brown leather briefcase where the words ' _Professor R. J. Lupin_ ' were stamped in shiny, gold letters. "I know you don't think you'll ever get to teach," she said. "But I think that's rubbish. You _will_ be a professor one day, and when you are, you're going to need one of these."

"I... how..." he muttered, his eyes sweeping the case in veneration.

"It doesn't matter how. All you need to know is that I didn't have to do anything illegal."

His eyes rose to meet hers. "Lisa... I don't know what—"

She cut him off with her lips. "You don't have to say anything. You can thank me by taking those qualification tests in January." Then she slipped off the bed and wrapped herself in her red dressing gown. "I'll make some tea. Want any?"

He made an affirmative humming sound, eyes still glued to the briefcase in his hands. Lisa chuckled to herself and went to the kitchen to make some chamomile tea, leaving him to admire it in peace.

* * *

oOo

Later that day, Lisa stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, holding the hair tie in one hand. She hated it when hair got on her food, and both the Marauders and Lily had seen her scars before. The only thing she worried about was Remus and his sad looks. Would leaving the scars exposed ruin his mood? After a few more minutes of consideration, she decided that he had seen her face enough to know very well what it looks like by now, and that he was probably used to them by this point. After tying her honey-blonde hair in a high ponytail, she finally exited the bathroom and found her boyfriend waiting for her by the door so they can finally leave for the Christmas lunch at the Potter Cottage, his sweater rolled up to his elbows, one hand holding up a book as he read, the other in his pocket.

She gave him an appraising look. "You can't go in that," Lisa said, reaching for her coat. "Go change."

Remus looked down at his beige slacks and sky-blue jumper. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Just change the sweater. The rest is fine."

He tugged at the the hem. "You think it's too worn?"

"I think that if I have to look at you in it all day I might drag you in James and Lily's spare bedroom and shag your brains out," Lisa said casually, stooping down to put on her boots.

Remus gave her an amused look, closing the book and leaving it on the battered coffee table. "And we don't want that?"

Lisa laughed. "Keep talking like that and we'll never make it out the door." She went back inside the bedroom, returning shorty with a brown jumper. "Here, put this on. I don't want to be undressing you in my head at the table."

Remus took it and lifted it up, stroking his chin in pretend-thoughtfulness. "Hm, but will you be able to contain yourself if I take it off out here?"

"Cut the cheek," she said, trying her best to hold back giggles.

"I think I'll keep the blue one. I rather like the idea of you drooling over me at dinner."

"Remus, I'm not kidding!" she insisted, but the wide grin contradicted her words. "You look too good in that jumper, it does things to me. Leave it at home!"

He laughed, wrapped his free hand around her waist and pulled her close for a kiss. Her arms coiled around his neck of their own accord and pulled him even closer.

After a few solid minutes that only felt like seconds, Lisa forced herself to pull away. "Fine, you can keep the bloody thing! We're already late; Sirius will whine that the food got cold while they waited for us."

Remus smirked and rolled his eyes. "After all the times he and James made us late in Hogwarts, they really have no right to complain."

"Let me guess," Lisa said. "They stay for hours in the bathroom to get their hair looking just right?"

"James did try to tame his for Lily a few times. I needn't say he failed dismally." Remus laughed. "But no, I actually meant that the two of them always dragged Peter and I through the longest possible route. After we discovered so many of the hidden passages, just walking to class became 'too simple', and using shortcuts was apparently 'boring and predictable'. At one point we started taking a different route to the classrooms each day, and once crawled through some narrow tunnel and somehow found ourselves in one of the drawers of Binns' desk. The third years were thoroughly confused to see us crawl into the room. Sirius' excuse of 'we got lost' didn't fly with him, or with McGonagall. My arms hurt for a week after the detention we got, but the cauldrons down in the dungeons have never been shinier."

"Is that right? They deserve to be kept waiting then," Lisa said, smiling seductively, and slipped her hands under the blue sweater.

* * *

oOo

"About time! I was just about to pass out from starvation!" Sirius complained as soon as Remus and Lisa walked into the kitchen in the Potter's Cottage.

Lisa shot her boyfriend a knowing look, but he only smiled and sat down next to Peter while Lily piled potato salad in the plate in front of him.

"Since you're still alive, we must not be _that_ late," Remus said, making James snort.

Sirius gasped in mock-offense. "After eight years of friendship, this is the treatment I get? And here I was, getting you such a thoughtful Christmas present..." He whipped out his wand, and a large, square package flew in from the kitchen, landing in front of him. "Now I think I'll keep it myself."

Everyone laughed, and James punched him in the arm. "Don't be a git, Padfoot."

Sirius sighed dramatically. "If I must." He then slid the package towards Remus. "Open it," he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Remus looked at Lisa. "I wouldn't," she said immediately. The werewolf's eyes moved down to the present again.

"Now I'm curious. Open it!" James chimed in.

"You know you want to," Sirius added with a smirk.

"I wanna see!" Peter said excitedly.

"I guess... as long as it's not anything dangerous..." Remus said hesitantly and reached for the package. He unwrapped the paper, and his eyes widened. He then quickly wrapped it up again, his whole face going pink.

Sirius erupted in laughter. "No need to thank me."

"What is it?" James asked and reached forward, but Remus swiftly pulled it out of his reach.

"It's a gag gift."

Sirius gasped in indignation. "A gag gift?! Do you have any idea how much that cost me? It's the finest of—"

James took advantage of the distraction and grabbed the package, sinking back in his chair and discarding the paper to the floor. His jaw dropped. "Submit to Me Beginners Bondage Kit?"

Remus' face went from pink to red, Peter let out a high-pitched giggle, Lisa just stared at it, completely dumbstruck, and even Lily was failing at suppressing her smirk.

James exploded in laughter, shortly joined by Sirius. "Mate, why didn't you say you were planning to buy them that; I would've paid for half of it!"

"I know, right? Those two must be the most vanilla couple in the world! This ought to spice things up a bit," Sirius managed to say in-between guffaws.

"And Lily and I got them silverware!" James could hardly breathe, tears of laughter streaming down his cheeks.

"You two are pigs," Lisa said matter-of-factly, then waved her wand with a short, precise motion. Sirius and James' mouths turned into pig snouts. They took one look at each other and started laughing again, but this time all they could emit were loud squeals.

Remus summoned the package and shrunk it down to size, putting it away in his pocket. Then he turned to Lisa and gave her a fond look. "That was great. Excellent wand movement."

"I had an excellent teacher," she replied, beaming at him. His fingers curled over hers under the table.

"Lilyyyy, they're doing the thing with the looks again," Peter whined, but the redhead was too busy laughing at her fiancé.

Amid the squealing, Sirius pointed his wand at Remus, giving him a long, yellow beak.

"That was a low blow, Padfoot," Lisa said with a snicker, bestowing a pair of antlers to the the dark-haired wizard.

James gasped indignantly at this, though all that came out of his snout were more squeals. His wand was out as well, and Lisa gained a pair of fluffy dog ears. Remus got in on it, giving Lily a head full of colourful feathers. Peter almost wet himself from laughter, at which point a mischievous glint shone in Lily's eyes, and she turned his hands into hooves.

This continued for quite a while, and the kitchen soon looked like a zoo. The game stopped when James turned Lisa into a bear, causing the chair to break under her.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked, helping her up, having untransfigured himself.

Lisa laughed and took his hand, once again in her human form. She repaired the chair and sat down again, but something caught her eye. Under the light of the street lamp outside, a shadowy silhouette lingered close to the gate of the cottage. Lisa's brows furrowed. She was almost certain it was him, but how did he find her?

"I need to go to the loo," she said casually and gave Remus a kiss on the cheek while stealthily stealing one of Lily's chocolate cupcakes, which had miraculously remained on the table, arranged in a neat circle.

Once she was in the hallway, Lisa tiptoed to the front door, threw on her coat and quietly snuck outside. She slowly approached the gate, casting an occasional glance at the window to make sure no one noticed her. The hooded man silently watched her approach, not moving a muscle. The young witch stopped a few meters away and levitated the cupcake towards him.

"Merry Christmas," she said.

He stared at the dessert in front of him for a few seconds but ultimately lifted a bare hand and took a hold of it.

"Enjoying the show?" she quipped, inclining her head back to the house.

His gaze wandered in that direction. "I thought you six were supposed to be grown wizards, not idiot second years," he said, his tone slightly sarcastic.

"Hey! Human transfiguration is a very impressive feat for a second year!" she exclaimed in mock-offense, but quickly dissolved into a chuckle.

The man's eyes lingered on the window. "Are they always like this?"

Lisa huffed a laugh. "You must not know the Marauders very well."

"No," he said, his voice becoming distant. "No, I don't think I do."

Lisa studied him for a minute. He sounded sad. But who was he? The light shining fro above only allowed her to see the bottom half of his face, but the jawline alone wasn't enough for her to get a clear idea of his features. He must be someone who knew her, obviously, if he was aware she wouldn't be with her own family but here with the Marauders. Did that mean he knew about her fallout with the Fawleys? He seemed to know an awful lot about the Death Eaters, but also about the Order. Was he friend or foe?

"Would you like to come in? There's still some turkey left," she offered lightly.

"I don't think your friends would let me have it." His mouth curved into a bitter smirk, and it sparked something in the back of her mind. She'd seen this smirk before. But where? On who?

Lisa tried to remember if she'd heard his voice before, but the deep baritone didn't really match the lean frame of the speaker. He had probably deepened his voice with magic.

"How did you know I would be here?" was her next question.

His smirk grew a little more arrogant. "Where else would you be? Your family doesn't exactly welcome werewolves on the dinner table, do they?"

"What about you? Don't you have a family of your own to be with?"

He looked at the cupcake in his hand. "I don't really want to be around them right now."

There was that melancholy in his voice again. He knew enough about her to be aware of her family drama, to know Remus' werewolf status, yet didn't know the Marauders? Lisa doubted he would give her a straight answer if she just asked how he knew these things, but maybe there was something else he could explain.

"Where have you been?" the witch asked softly. "I haven't seen you in a while."

He looked at her, sadness still lingering in his voice. "And why do you care? You don't even know me."

"But you know me," she shot back. "Who are you?"

"I told you before. It doesn't matter who I am."

"It does to me."

"... What would knowing my name change?"

She stared at him, not sure how to answer. "I would be able to help you."

"Help me?" he scoffed. "You can't."

"And you're sure of that, are you?"

"If you approached me when I'm not wearing this hood, you will die," he said seriously. "And I won't be able to do a thing about it."

"I could still contact you," she insisted. "Send you a message to warn you of Death Eaters, like you do with me. Being in the Order of the Phoenix has its advantages."

"If anyone caught wind of this message, I will die."

"So why are you here, then?!" Lisa snapped. "What do you want from me?"

He stared at her in silence, then said quietly, "Who says I'm here for you?"

Lisa's head whipped around to glance at the window, where James was levitating the bowl of cranberry sauce over Peter's head while his fiancée's back was turned, but Lily still saw it and hit him upside the head before he could overturn it, catching the bowl in her other hand. When Lisa turned back to look at the hooded figure again, he was gone, and she was standing in the Potter's garden, completely alone.


	16. Nothing More To Say

**.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 **Nothing More To Say**

"Merry Christmas!" Alice exclaimed happily, wrapping her arms around Lisa's neck the second she opened the door.

"Christmas was three days ago!" Lisa scolded her playfully and laughed.

"But we didn't see each other!" Alice said breathlessly and went on to hug Remus, who had come to the door as well.

"How are you, Frank?" Lisa hugged her cousin, who was standing behind Alice, carrying a large plastic Tupperware box.

"I manage," he replied with a grin, wrapping one arm around her waist quickly. "Where should I put this?"

The Longbottoms were ushered inside, and Alice helped Remus set the table, serving the turkey fillets they had brought, while Lisa and Frank chatted on the couch.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" the blonde witch said, smiling brightly. She hadn't seen her cousin as often as she would've liked lately.

"Why didn't you tell me you weren't coming for Christmas?" he shot back. "The whole family was there."

Lisa's smile faded. "Were they?" she said flatly with a blank expression on her face.

"They were. Aunt Dawn almost burst in tears when Mum asked after you," Frank said, observing her carefully. "Uncle Rob looked like he was trying to pass a kidney stone. Why didn't you tell me you had a falling out?"

"You didn't ask," Lisa replied, suddenly terribly fascinated with the end of one of her blonde locks.

"... What happened?"

A flame flashed in Lisa's eyes and they snapped to meet Frank's. "My family showed themselves for the racist, narrow-minded fools they are, that's what happened!"

Alice and Remus stopped talking and turned to stare at them.

"How so?" Frank asked calmly.

"Grandpa sent me a Howler," Lisa growled. "Yelled my ears off about how I'm a disgrace to the family name by living with a werewolf."

Frank's brows traveled up his forehead, and Alice shot Remus a quick look.

Lisa's hands curled into fists in her lap. "The next day my parents payed us a visit. They wanted to drag me back to Low Row, told me they 'don't approve of my living conditions'."

Everyone was quiet for a while, processing the information. Then Frank said, "So you decided to shut yourself off?"

"Me?!" Lisa exclaimed indignantly. "It was Grandpa that cut my access to the family vault and told me I wouldn't get a single knut of inheritance if I ran off with a half-blood! It was Dad that came barging in here, trying to forcefully make me go back with him! How is any of this my fault?"

"They may have said all of that, but they still want you to be part of the family. They haven't disowned you." Frank's calm, soothing voice only seemed to irritate her more.

"Oh, wake up, Frank! They don't want to reconcile!" Lisa snapped.

"And how would you know that?" he insisted. "Have you seen them? Have you talked to them in the last two months?"

Lisa stared at him for a moment, at a loss for words. "They gave me an ultimatum. I was asked to make a choice, and I made it."

Frank's hand rose and covered hers, squeezing lightly. "It doesn't have to be a final one."

She pulled away. "It doesn't seem that way. They don't want to accept the person I love, and I can't help that. I'm not a doll they can dress and control, and I'm not going to live my life according to their rules. If they truly loved me, they would see that and act like civilized wizards."

Frank seemed ready to counter this, when Alice unexpectedly called, "Lunch is ready!" and rushed to set the last plate on the table, knocking two glasses of pumpkin juice down in the process. She stammered apologies as the orange liquid seeped into the tablecloth. Remus reassured her it was fine and reached for his wand to clean it up.

Frank looked at his cousin, but she only shot him a hard look and joined the other two. He sighed, standing up as well, and dropped the subject for the time being.

The four of them had a lovely meal, chatting about the tiny Auror cubicles, Mad-Eye's impressive capture of four Death Eaters, who were released only a few hours later thanks to it being 'a misunderstanding', and the rumors Voldemort had been recruiting within the Ministry.

When it started getting dark, the Longbottoms stood up to leave. Alice occupied Lisa's attention with some talk about Marlene and Sirius, and Frank took this opportunity to speak to Remus.

"Lupin. A word?" he said quietly, inclining his head to the side. Remus followed him a few steps down the hallway so the women couldn't overhear. "Here," Frank said, pressing a tall, square package to his chest. "This is something I got for Uncle Rob's birthday; it's on the 8th of January. I was going to ask Lisa if she wanted me to put her name on it as well, but it doesn't look like she'll send him so much as a birthday card."

Remus sighed deeply. "I know. I don't like this any more than you do, but—"

"Make sure she visits him," Frank cut him off. "They already lost a daughter. Trust me, it's not easy for them to keep out of touch the way they're doing now. Lisa won't do it if I ask, but she'll listen to you."

Remus smiled slightly. "I think you overestimate the control I can exert over her."

Frank shook his head. "I'm not overestimating anything. If you truly care about her, talk her into going. I know she doesn't like being on bad terms with them either."

The werewolf looked down at the package in his hands. "I'll try."

* * *

oOo

The following week, Remus came back home from another hard day of low-paying work to find Lisa on the couch, reading. She looked up when he came in and smiled at him, got up and went over to kiss his cheek.

"Welcome back. There's grilled cheese in the fridge, of you want any," she said, then went back to the couch.

Remus stared at her for a moment. It wasn't right that she was separated from her family because of him. If he were a real man, he would break up with her and let her go off and find someone more suitable to her status, but he was too selfish. Sighing deeply, he went inside the bedroom and returned with Frank's package. Then he set it on the coffee table, right in front of her.

"What's this?" she asked with mild curiosity, looking up from the book.

Remus sat down, propping his elbows on his knees. "It's a birthday gift for your dad. His birthday is this Sunday."

Lisa threw him a glare. "I'm not going."

"Lisa—"

"He called you a monster!" she snapped. "There is nothing I want to say to him."

Remus sighed and took her hand in both of his. "Listen to me. Family is important. Don't you remember how upset you were when you thought you might die without ever getting to make up with them?"

"But—"

He held up a hand. "Let me finish. Even when your grandfather cut you off, they still stood by your side. Even when you were angry with them for something out of their control, they still never blamed you, kept trying to reach out, kept asking after you. Even now, they're sitting somewhere, worrying about what might be going on with you. Try to understand. They only want to protect you."

"They're trying to protect me from _you_!" Lisa exploded.

"And rightly so," Remus continued calmly. "I am a werewolf, Lisa. You know what most people think of those like me. Even you were afraid at first."

"That was—"

"I know." He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. "I know. Your parents' failings lie with caring about you too much. They are afraid, and fear clouds people's judgement. No matter what, they're still the people who raised you, and you'll always be their daughter. Don't you think that instead of getting angry you ought to try explaining the situation to them?"

"Explain to them about basic human decency?" Lisa said bitingly.

"Explain to them that I keep away during full moon nights, that I wouldn't hurt you. We've been together long enough for them to see that if I could, I would have done it by now."

He held her intense glare, and Lisa could almost feel herself soften under his green eyes.

"Just explain?" she said.

He nodded. "Just explain."

"And you think they'll listen?"

"It wouldn't hurt to try."

They were silent again for a bit.

"Fine," she surrendered, "but you're coming with me."

He smirked slightly. "I'm working weekends."

"I'm not going without you," Lisa said stubbornly. "Either they accept both of us, or I don't need their understanding."

Remus squeezed her hand. "They don't have to accept me," he said quietly. "They just have to accept that you do."

"But—"

"You want to be with me. That's more than I dare ask."

Lisa's irritation disappeared completely at those words, and she laid her hand on top of his. "Alright. I'll go, but I'll only make up with them if they can take their heads out of their arses and treat you like the amazing person you are."

"Lisa..."

"Only if they agree to that," she cut him off firmly. "They may be family, but you are the most important person in my life. If they can't deal with that, then too bad, because I can't lose you."

Remus looked into her chocolate eyes, unsure of what to say. He felt happy and guilty at the same time, like a grounded child enjoying ice cream.

"Stop giving me that look," she scolded him playfully and squeezed his hands before getting up and going over to the fridge, taking out the grilled cheese for him.

* * *

oOo

Lisa stood outside the front door of the Fawley estate in the quiet village of Low Row, clutching the present in her hands. She didn't even know how to begin. Her hands were starting to go numb from the cold, so she decided to just improvise. After a short knock on the hard wooden surface, a house-elf opened the door.

"Miss Lisa!" it squeaked excitedly.

"Hello," the young witch said kindly, cursing herself for forgetting the elf's name. "Are my parents here?"

"They are, Miss. Mr. Robert and Mrs. Dawn are having tea with Master Hector and Mistress Susan. Should I announce your visit?"

"Erm... no, thank you. Just lead me to them; I want it to be a surprise."

The house-elf nodded vigorously and side-stepped to let her in. Lisa followed it down the familiar well-lit hallway to the den. Through the door glass, she could see her parents and grandparents gathered around the table.

"That would be all, thank you," she said to the house-elf, one hand on the knob. The servant made a low bow and retreated, while she took a deep breath and entered.

The first one to notice was her mother.

"Lisa..." Mrs. Fawley muttered, making her husband whirl around.

"Hi, Mum," Lisa said quietly.

The room was silent for a whole minute.

"Well," Hector Fawley began loudly, "I see you have come to your senses. Late is better than never, I suppose, but what you—"

"If by 'come to my senses' you mean 'left Remus', then you are wrong," Lisa said evenly. Her relatives stared at her with wide-eyes.

Then her grandfather's brows knitted. "Then why are you here? If it's to ask for money, I have already told you that as soon as—"

"I don't want gold," Lisa interrupted. "And I am not here to negotiate. Frank and Remus are both convinced I should give you a chance, make you understand... If you want me to be a part of this family, then you are going to have to treat me as an adult and respect my choices."

"Respect your choices?" Hector spat. "Respect the fact that you fornicate with a _werewolf_?!"

"Hector!" his wife gasped.

"Yes," Lisa replied calmly. "Simply put, if you don't accept Remus, you don't accept me."

Robert sighed. "Lisa. Has it really never occurred to you that that creature is obviously using you?"

Anger burned at the pit of her stomach, but she knew she couldn't go back without at least trying. "And has it ever occurred to you, Dad, that Remus has feelings like any other person?"

"No," Robert said without missing a beat. "You are too young, too inexperienced to understand... Werewolves are not people. They are beasts, wild and savage. Did you learn nothing from bedtime stories have I read to you? This is basic things even children know."

Lisa's hands balled into fists, but she forced herself to remain calm. Blowing up wouldn't help in convincing them. "Those were old wives' tales, Dad. Are you scared of hags coming in the night too? You've never even seen a werewolf in person."

"We are only trying to look out for you, sweetheart..." Dawn began hesitantly.

"And we don't need to meet a werewolf to know what they are like, just like we don't need to poke a dragon in the eye to know it would burn us," Robert cut in. "There are books, people have researched this so others don't have to risk their lives."

"Books are written by men, and men are often wrong," Lisa countered. "Werewolves were human too, before they were bitten. And after that the only time they are dangerous is around the full moon, and Remus makes sure I am never close when he transforms. As a human he would never hurt me."

Robert sighed tiredly. "You are too naïve to see it. He is your first serious boyfriend, he has charmed you and possibly even manipulated you into believing him! Do you even realize your own status? You are a Fawley, the Heiress of a Great and Ancient House. The _sole_ Heiress. He could gain a fortune by seducing you, respect in the wizarding world, make a name for himself..."

"He has not 'seduced' me!" Lisa snapped. She was beginning to slip.

"He is _using_ you. A half-blood wizard of no name, knows no sane person would ever hire him — he's looking for an easy life," Robert insisted. "You haven't lived enough to see, haven't had enough interaction with people beyond Hogwarts. Don't trust good manners and a charming smile; people are rarely what they appear."

"If that were true, wouldn't he have left me as soon as I was disinherited?" Lisa asked, trying as hard as she could to keep the anger out of her voice.

Hector puffed dismissively. "And lose all the hard work he's put into ensnaring you? Why would he do that? What other woman would even look at him twice, now that everyone knows what he is?"

"I've always known what he is. Even before we started dating."

"And you took it in stride, did you?" Robert asked skeptically.

Lisa paused. "Well... no, but I—"

"But he had already been working you for quite a while," Hector cut in again. "Coming over to this house, pretending to be human... He may look like one, but never forget that he is _not_. He doesn't think like the rest of us, doesn't _feel_..."

"He does feel!" Lisa snapped.

"The way a dog feels," Robert took over. "He feels cold, he feels hungry... but he can't feel love, not the way we do. He's a different species, and he's been lying to you, for years now. Why can't you understand?"

Lisa stared at them in silence for a minute. "So that's it, then? You refuse to believe that I am acting of my own accord and that Remus is not manipulating me?"

Robert sighed again. "Lisa, you're just too—"

"I have nothing more to say." She turned on her heel and marched down the hallway, her mother's sobs echoing behind her.

* * *

oOo

When Lisa got home that night, it was already past eleven. She had taken a long walk after that conversation with her family, thinking things over. As she expected, it had come down to choosing between Remus and her family. And she had made a choice. A final one.

She didn't hate her father, or her grandfather. They were simply bind, and she knew nothing she could say would make them see the truth. No matter what Remus said or did, from the moment they had learned of his lycanthropy it had all began to seem like a manipulation, and everything he did in the future would also be seen as such.

Lisa didn't want to admit it, but she knew Remus was a good manipulator, better even than James or Sirius. However, she doubted that he himself knew that, and he rarely used this ability for something other than talking himself and the Marauders out of trouble.

When she entered the flat, Lisa found her boyfriend in the far corner, doing the dishes. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, sighing deeply.

Remus turned around. "Hey," he said softly, leaving the half-washed dish in the sink to approach her. "How did it go?"

Lisa sighed. "I don't want to talk about it," she murmured, wrapping an arm around his torso and sinking into his embrace.

"Was it that bad?" he said, caressing her head. "You didn't curse someone again, did you?"

She shook her head slightly and buried her face in his chest. "I have nothing more to say to them. They made it clear that they'll never understand."

"But if you _tried_ to—"

"They think you're using me," she said. His whole body stiffened. "They think you've sweet-talked me into this, that you wanted to make a name for yourself by seducing a pureblood."

Remus reached up, resting his hand on her head. He didn't know what to say. "Lisa, I would ne—"

"Oh, don't be daft, Remus," she said impatiently. "Of course you wouldn't. You think a few books and some misguided opinions can change the way I see you?"

"Even when you have reason to?" he asked quietly.

"Even then," she said gently and pulled back slightly to look at him, her arms coiling around his neck. "I know who you are. I know how I feel about you, and how you feel about me. That is all I will ever need. No amount of arguments, however well-structured they might be, will ever change that."

He smiled sadly. "You should not hold on to a belief so stubbornly. It will hurt much more once you are let down."

The smile she gave him was as radiant as the sun. "I believe in _you_. I've never been in less danger of being let down."


End file.
